Journey Through the Decade
by Ten-Faced Paladin
Summary: A crisis which reaches across world looms closer. Ten champions are chosen out of the multitudes to stop it. Ten warriors, ten worlds, one face. Kamen Rider Decade!
1. 10 Champions

**I do not own Kamen Rider Decade or Ranma ½. Those belong to their respective creators and not me!**

**Journey through the Decade**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**Chapter 1: 10 Champions**

Ranma Saotome yawned as he relaxed in the backyard of the Tendo Dojo. It was one of those odd days of peace. The Kunos were doing what crazy people did, Ryoga was lost, and Mousse was out making deliveries. The fiancées were all out dealing with their own business, which suited Ranma just fine since it didn't involve him for a change. The fathers were out drinking themselves stupid, which was arguably impossible since they couldn't possibly get any dumber. Kasumi was doing housework again and Nabiki…

"Saotome, we need to talk," the middle Tendo frowned.

She was in a bad mood. That never really boded well for the pigtailed martial artist. Still, he put on a brave face as he turned to gaze at the irate Tendo, "About what Nabiki?"

"Like what you did to my camera, that's what," Nabiki frowned as she tossed several photos at him.

Ranma caught the photos and looked them over. They were all photos from the failed wedding, but they were warped and strange. It was hard to tell what was what in some places and there were faint images of people in weird outfits. Some had large blue eyes, large yellow eyes, red eyes, and one even had red lines traveling over its body.

"I have a lot of people who wanted to pay good money for wedding shots," Nabiki frowned. "Now undo what you did to my camera so I can earn that money."

"Hate to break it to you, but I didn't do anything," Ranma frowned as he threw the photos onto the table. "I don't know anything about cameras. You know that. I don't know how your pictures got all wonky."

Nabiki frowned as she took back the photos. Ranma really didn't know anything about photography but if you wanted to ruin a photo, you didn't need to know much. However, this wasn't solely limited to just photos of the wedding. Every picture Nabiki had tried to get of Ranma recently turned out like this. They were all blurry and had weird figures in the background. How was she supposed to make money off Ranma's girl side when all the shots turned out horrible like this?

"Then who else would ruin shots taken of you?" Nabiki asked sternly.

"I don't know," Ranma shrugged. "There's a long list of people who don't like you. Maybe one of them decided to mess with your camera since you sell more pictures of me than anyone else."

"Hrmm," Nabiki frowned. That much was true. There were lots of people who didn't like her and only a few had the martial arts skills needed to be able to pull it off without her knowing. Of course, Ranma was at the top of that list. "If I find out you were messing with my stuff…"

"I'm in deep enough debt as it is," Ranma frowned. "I'm not looking for more."

"Good," Nabiki nodded. "Remember that then."

Kasumi inwardly sighed as she watched the exchange. Her younger sister was putting business and money ahead of everything else again. Despite the fact that money she made went to the house and finances, Nabiki had made enemies of many people and no one in school much less the district trusted her or even liked her. She had no friends, only business associates. Kasumi could remember at the wedding. Nabiki had sold invitations to the fiancées on the date of the wedding. When the guests arrived, she didn't say hello or greeted them. She just demanded the money that the guests brought which was supposed to be for the bride and groom. Sometimes Kasumi feared that Nabiki would sell them all out if the price was right. She didn't voice that concern though. It would just make things complicated for everyone.

Normally Kasumi wouldn't have had thoughts about such bad things, but she hadn't been sleeping well lately. She had been subject to very violent dreams, and they just felt too real to be regular dreams.

-FLASHBACK-

_Kasumi was standing in the middle of a deserted area. Looking around, she tried to see if there was anyone around. However, as she was looking, a sudden explosion caused her to scream in fear. Looking around, she gasped when she saw people approaching. They were all donned in various suits of armor with various themes. Some were on motorcycles and others were on foot. Looking up, she even saw that some were flying through the air. Two flying trains went through the air with a green Minotaur on top of one. Chinese dragons blasted fire through the air at a common target. There was even a dragon which looked like it was part castle._

_Explosions ripped through the air and several of the armored people were shot down. The flying trains were shot down and the castle dragon met the same fate. Armored men who were on the flying machines leaped from the flight path and started running on the ground. Loud noises caught Kasumi's attention and she spotted a giant stone gorilla with a man in dark armor on top_

_Suddenly, explosions ripped through the area, making Kasumi scream again. She had to shield her eyes from the glare of the explosions. Rubbing her eyes, she looked up and gasped. All of the armored men and the various implements of battle were strewn across the ground. They were wounded or hopefully unconscious. Gasping, Kasumi ran to the closest one, a man in blue armor with stag-beetle like horns and red eyes with stag beetle scythes on his shoulders. The eldest Tendo reached him quickly as she checked on him, trying to determine his injuries._

"_Oh my!" she gasped. "Are you all right? Please tell me! Can you speak?"_

"_Uhhhh," the man groaned. He gazed up at Kasumi through his visor. "How…did you get here? You have to run. Decade…is coming."_

"_I will not!" Kasumi insisted._

_Gently laying the man on his back, she checked for any wounds which had gotten through his metallic armor. Seeing none, she just assumed that he had taken a bad beating and needed time to recover. So, she dragged the man out of the middle of the ground and placed him on a soft patch of grass_

"_You lay here and rest!" Kasumi insisted. "You're no good against this…Decade, if you can't even stand."_

_The blue armored man groaned, but didn't argue. Kasumi returned to the battlefield and checked on the other armored men. She kept checking to see if they were okay. None of them were dead, but they had taken severe beatings. She brought them all over to shady or hidden places. All of her medical treatment experience was put to the test as she tried to help all the armored men. There were just so many of them. Who were they fighting?_

_As she set a man in mantis themed armor with a heart visor against a canyon wall, she heard footsteps. Looking up, another armored figure was walking towards her. He was donned in full armor which was red, black, and white. An 'X' was on his chest and left shoulder and his eyes were green. A silver buckle was on his waist with a silver case on the side. He walked lazily along the canyon floor, the armored men who Kasumi tried to make more comfortable and the ones she had yet to treat tried to get to their feet, but their wounds were too much. Kasumi felt her breath quicken as the armored man walked closer._

"_Decade," she gasped._

"_Matte!" Kasumi heard and looked to see a man in crimson armor with a gold collar and black bodysuit with a black helmet crowned by gold horns and sporting red eyes. He charged at Decade and hurled punches at him. Decade blocked the blows and drove the red-armored man back with a kick. The red-armored warrior growled as black energy enveloped him as lightning struck him, turning his armor black with gold-trim and sporting spikes on the legs, elbows and shoulders with black eyes. _

_The warrior known as Decade was largely unconcerned with the black-clad warrior as he turned to face him. The black warrior growled dangerously as he clenched his fist tightly. Fiery energy enveloped his right fist as he stared down the red-clad warrior with green eyes. Decade matched his foe, gathering a red pixelating power in his own fist which shone brightly. With a roar, the black warrior and Decade both charged at one another with their fists extending for an impact._

_Kasumi screamed as en explosion erupted from the impact of both their fists meeting._

-END FLASHBACK-

Kasumi shivered at remembrance of the dream. The Decade figure was quite intimidating. She also couldn't help but send her heart out to all the armored men who were fighting against him. She didn't know why they were fighting in the first place, but she didn't like how they were all getting so badly hurt. It hardly seemed to be a fair fight with all of them against Decade. Still, she was curious as to why they were all fighting in the first place.

"Kasumi?" Ranma asked, snapping the eldest Tendo out of her thoughts. "You okay? You look like you're thinking about something."

"Oh, just pondering to myself," Kasumi smiled. "It's nothing. I still need to go to the market today to get some things."

"Oh. Okay then," Ranma nodded. "Want some company? I'm getting kind of bored and need something to do."

"That would be nice," Kasumi smiled.

Grabbing her purse and shopping bags, Kasumi set out to the market. Ranma walked close behind as they headed for the marketplace. Ranma didn't really try talking since Kasumi liked the peace and quiet. He had been shopping with her before. It was one of the few times that some regularity and peacefulness was in her life. Her home sure didn't have it since he and his father showed up. Between the suitors, fiancées, Happosai, Akane throwing fits now and then, the Tendo home was anything but peaceful.

People waved and said their hellos to Kasumi. She was a popular figure in the marketplace. Lots of the single stand owners seemed to really appreciate her business. Of course it was pretty much impossible to not like Kasumi. There was nothing about her that was unlikable. The only time that she came rather close to being unlikable when she was possessed by that oni. That wasn't a pleasant experience for anyone involved.

"Ranma," Kasumi finally spoke up. "I was wondering something."

"Um…what would that be?" asked the pigtailed martial artist.

"Do you love Akane?" the eldest Tendo asked plainly. "Do you really want to marry her?"

Ranma blinked at the question for a moment before he sighed, "You know. If you asked me that before the failed wedding, I would have said yes. Now that it happened, things are just getting worse instead of better. I mean, it was fine right after. I guess the fiancées felt bad about how they were acting, but that changed. Now they're downright desperate to make me marry them and the rivals are starting to team up to try and beat me. The fathers are no help since all they do is whine and moan about joining the schools. Akane…she's been rather violent lately. She's blowing her stack way quicker now and she's always hitting me for some reason."

Kasumi had to admit that was happening. Akane's temper was getting shorter and she would always take it out on Ranma, claiming him to be a pervert at the top of her lungs. Once Kasumi asked why Akane was accusing Ranma of being a pervert and she replied that Ukyo and Shampoo kept telling her all the things they would do with him when she wasn't around. Now Kasumi knew that the two fiancées were tricking Akane and using her temper against her. However, Akane was more than willing to believe a girl who has been known to trick her or fight against her than the boy she was engaged to and risked his life for her. It seemed that Akane preferred to believe fellow girls rather than a boy, proving that despite all they had been through together, Akane had absolutely no faith or trust in Ranma.

"I'm sure she'll come around," Kasumi reassured him.

"For a few days," Ranma grumbled. "Then she'll just get angry at something else and hit me for it even if I have nothing to do with it."

Kasumi almost frowned at that. It seemed that Ranma's relationship with Akane was dying and neither of them was going to do anything about it. If someone didn't do something about Shampoo and Ukyo soon, then Ranma and Akane weren't going to last as the couple everyone saw them as.

Ranma rubbed the back of his neck as he and Kasumi fell into comfortable silence again. He spoke the truth about his relationship with Akane. For some reason, she would lose her temper, shriek that he was a pervert, and pound him. He didn't recall doing anything which would make her so mad, but Akane wasn't exactly the most logical person on the planet. She would jump to conclusions that were continents apart. Never mind the fact that she was usually always wrong about them, if a girl was involved, it was Ranma's fault, even if that girl was the cause of the problem.

"Just have a little faith," Kasumi reassured the young man. "I'm sure that it will all work out in the end."

"I've been trying," Ranma sighed. "But Akane just doesn't seem to want to take any steps. I mean, I barely know what steps to take half the time and Pop doesn't help, thinking that I should just know since he and your dad seem to think me and Akane are the perfect couple."

Kasumi almost frowned at that. Again, Ranma had made a good point. It wasn't enough to just say they were engaged and expect them to be a couple. They had to take steps to get to know each other, learn about each other, and other things. However, Ranma's upbringing denied him a lot of knowledge in that department since Genma saw it as a distraction. He didn't know what to do with an engagement or dates half the time. Of course Akane had little to no patience for him and snapped whenever he did something wrong and usually hit him. The fathers were no help since they figured all the fighting was a good thing for some reason. Kasumi had the most memories about her mother and she knew her parents didn't fight nearly as much as Akane and Ranma did. Why did her father think all the fighting was a good thing? Even in the odd moments where Ranma and Akane were making progress, someone usually interrupted or the fathers took it as signs from above and tried to force the two into marriage. She remembered the 'Love Knot' incident where Genma and Soun actually strong-armed their children to write their names on paper and attach them on bamboo in hopes that the supposed magic would make them fall in love with each other. Not that the incident didn't work out, but Kasumi was sure at least Ranma was convinced for a while. Of course, the next day things went right back to normal. It just went to show that Genma and Soun knew as much about love as they did about quantum physics; nothing.

Ranma sighed as he looked up at the sky and suddenly froze. It wasn't the partly cloudy space it used to be. Instead, it was a mass of silver that looked like it was actually made of liquid.

"Kasumi," Ranma spoke as he directed her gaze up into the sky. "I think we had better head back home now."

"I…oh my…I think we should," the eldest Tendo gasped.

Grasping Kasumi's hand, Ranma pulled her through the gaping masses of people who were just staring at the silver mess in the sky. Ranma knew from experience that weird things were never good and this was probably going to be one of his worse days.

As they reached the end of the market street, the sky began to fall, quite literally. A wall of the silver substance fell to the ground, blocking off any escape route. Ranma kept Kasumi behind him so to better protect her, but the wall started moving again. Before even Ranma could react, the wall had passed over them.

Opening his eyes, Ranma blinked when he saw that the scenery had changed. Instead of the marketplace, there was a large fountain with modernist sculptures acting as fountains. The sky was dark and a full moon hung in the sky. There were no people around save for Kasumi and Ranma.

"Oh my," the eldest Tendo gasped. "Where…where are we?"

"My domain," a new voice answered.

Ranma whiled into a new stance with Kasumi kept protectively behind him. Staring down the one who spoke, Ranma was slightly surprised to see who he was looking at. It was a young man who seemed to be in his twenties and had reddish-brown hair. He was wearing a black vest with red pants and had a scarf around his neck. Next to him was a flying metal bat with large red eyes and was mainly gold and black.

"And who are you?" Ranma frowned.

"Wataru Kurenai," the man answered as he stepped closer, walking along the edge of the fountain. "We've met before, Ranma Saotome. Or, at least we will."

"Huh?" Ranma blinked.

"Now's not the time to talk though," Wataru shrugged, "but the time to act. Time is short and there is still so much that needs to be done."

"Lemme guess, you need my help to do it?" Ranma asked with a frown.

"Who else?" asked the metal bat.

Before Ranma could ask more questions or Wataru could explain more, heavy breathing could be heard. Ranma was instantly at alert while Wataru clenched his fists. Stepping out of the shadows was a host of monsters Ranma hadn't seen before. They were all black-skinned, but also looked like they had stained glass growing out of said skin. All of them appeared to be a fusion between human and animal as well.

"Ahhh!" Kasumi cried, clutching onto Ranma.

"What the-?!" Ranma gasped at the approaching monsters. "What are these things?!"

"Fangires," Wataru answered. "Enemies you will face along the way. Kivat."

"Yosh!" the metal bat cried as it dove down to Wataru's and opened its mouth. "Bite!"

The bat bit down on Wataru's hand, making his veins pulse out. Stained glass markings appeared on the young man's face as he grabbed the bat and raised him up. Chains encircled his waist before fusing together to create a blood red belt with what looked like whistles on the sides.

"Henshin," Wataru spoke as he attached the bat to his belt, hanging upside down.

A ringing sound burst through the air as Wataru's body turned silver. His entire body then shifted before the silver layer shattered off, revealing his new form. He was in a black bodysuit with silver torso armor and red chest plating. His shoulders looked like silver bat wings which were chained up and his hands were covered in red plating. His right leg was covered in silver armor which was chained up while the other boot remained bare. His head was covered in a red helmet that had large yellow eyes

Kasumi gasped as she saw the armored figure. She recognized him from her dream!

-FLASHBACK-

_Kasumi dashed to the castle dragon which had been shot down in the battle. She hoped that no one was crushed, but logic told her it might have happened. The mighty beast was still breathing, but obviously hurt. A human groan captured Kasumi's attention and she turned to see that someone was sitting against the dragon's snout, obviously hurt. He was donned in gothic armor with large yellow eyes._

"_Oh my! Please hold on!_" _Kasumi hasped as she ran to the down armored man. She gently placed his head back to see if he was bleeding anywhere. The helmet looked intact, but he could still be suffering from bruising. Everything seemed to be fine, but she couldn't be sure unless she got the armor off of him and she didn't know how. Still, there was no sign that he had broken bones or was bleeding._

"_Unnnn," the armored man groaned. "Who…who are you?"_

"_Just a friend," Kasumi smiled. "Now just keep breathing and try to stay conscious."_

"_Okay," the armored man nodded. "But…what's your name?"_

"_Kasumi. Kasumi Tendo," the eldest daughter of Soun answered as she gently pressed his arms and legs, checking for broken bones._

"_My name is Kiva," the armored man replied._

-END FLASHBACK-

"Kiva?" Kasumi uttered.

"Huh?" Ranma responded.

As Kiva got ready to fight the Fangires he said to Ranma, "The end of your world is nearing. You must find the power to save it or else it is doomed."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Ranma, but Kiva already leaped at the charging Fangires with a battle cry of his own. Ranma tried to follow to lend a hand, but he and Kasumi were suddenly surrounded by the silver energies again. Everything around them faded away. They stayed in that limbo for only a short time before they emerged somewhere new. This time they were outside a café called The Milk Dipper.

Ranma tried to make sense of what was going on, but it was all over his head. Kasumi was just as confused if not more so. This was beyond anything they had experienced before. As they tried to get their heads back on straight, the door to the Milk Dipper opened and a young man walked out.

He looked to be around the same age as Wataru and had messy black hair. He had a white sweater and jeans on with a red and black checkered scarf rapped around his neck. He took in the sight of Kasumi and Ranma and blinked.

"You're early," he sighed. "Still that means progress is being made faster than expected."

"Who are you?" asked Ranma. "Are you with that Wataru guy?"

"We've met," the young man nodded. "I am Ryoutarou Nogami. We've met as well Ranma, but not in this timeline."

"Timeline?" asked Ranma with confusion.

"Someone will have to explain it to you later," Ryotarou sighed. "Right now I don't have enough time to go over details. The point is that you are going to play an important role in things to come."

"I am?" wondered Ranma.

Suddenly, the sound of flowing sand echoed and the three youths turned to see a creature rising up from a pile of sand. It looked like a blue bat monster of some kind. Behind it, more such creatures were rising up from growing piles of sand. None of them looked friendly as they started stalking towards the trio.

"Things are already getting out of hand," Ryotarou frowned as he drew out a machine-like belt that had a clack-like face on the front and four colored buttons. He quickly wrapped it around his waist. "You have to find your cards if you want a chance to stop it."

"My cards?" Ranma asked.

"Yes," Ryoutaro nodded. He pressed a red button on his belt, turning the centre red while a song seemed to echo from it. He then produced a black train pass and swiped it over the front. "Henshin!"

"**Sword Form!"**

Shard of red covered Ryotarou, putting him in a black bodysuit which had black and silver chest armor. His boots and gantlets were white. His helmet was also white with black eyes. However, that didn't stay long as red chest armor appeared and attached to his front with red shoulder plates. Yellow and black sections attached to his back in a similar fashion. A light flashed on his helmet before a red peach slid down his face, locking onto the eyes and splitting open to turn into a new visor.

"Ore sanjou!" the armored man called as he struck a pose.

Kasumi blinked. Yet again another figure from her dreams had appeared. "Den-O?"

"Do you know this guy Kasumi?" Ranma asked, overhearing Kasumi's words.

"Umm…maybe," was all Kasumi could say. She had only seen this man in a dream before. She didn't know he was real until now.

"Hmph," Den-O snorted as he assembled four black items together and a red blade extended from the tip. "Find the cards. Save us all. Ikuze, ikuze, ikuze!"

The crimson fighter dashed at the assembling monsters, slashing wildly with his weapons. As the first strike was made, everything vanished in silver. Ranma quickly grabbed into Kasumi's hand, making sure not to lose her. It didn't take long before the silver vanished again, but this time they were standing on an observation deck of Tokyo Tower.

"Holy cow," Ranma gaped at the sight of the city.

"Oh my," Kasumi gasped.

"Nice, isn't it?"

Kasumi and Ranma turned to see a man walking towards them. He was wearing traditional clothes with sandals and his hands in his pockets. His hair was messy and black and massive confidence was in his eyes.

"And who might you be?" asked Ranma, guessing this guy wanted to say something too.

"I am the man who walks the path of heaven and will one day rule over everything," the man introduced. "Souji…Tendou."

"Uhh," Ranma blinked. He then turned to Kasumi. "Is this guy related to you?"

"I don't think so," Kasumi answered with a shake of her head.

"I am of no relation to the girl," Tendou answered. He then turned his gaze to Ranma. "But you and I have worked together on several occasions."

"We have?" Ranma blinked.

"You'll see," was all Tendou said. "Still, it seems you are lacking something you'll need before you can fully undertake the task which needs to be done."

"And that would be what?" asked Ranma irritably. "My cards?"

Tendou nodded. Suddenly a smashing noise echoed from the back. Tendou reacted quickly as he turned to face the source. It turned out to be a doorway being smashed down by several green cocoon-like monsters with skeletal faces and long claws. Kasumi shrieked, never liking insects and hid behind Ranma.

"You know what you have to do," Tendou frowned as he revealed a silver belt around his waist.

"**Standby!"**

A buzzing noise echoed through the room and a robotic rhino beetle flew into the room and landed in Tendou's hand. He held the device up before locking it into his belt with a cry of, "Henshin!"

"**Henshin!"**

A hexagonal field rose up from the belt, covering him in armor. It was mainly silver and red and looked very thick. His helmet was silver with a short horn ornament on the forehead with a large blue visor. His arms were covered with segmented armor and his neck wasn't visible since the armor was so thick.

"Kabuto!" Kasumi gasped in shock. Were all these armored men real?

"Go, Find the cards. Find the power," Kabuto spoke as he dashed at the approaching monsters. He then vanished in the silver haze again with Ranma and Kasumi being the only people there. The silver faded to reveal a thick forest with large trees surrounding everything.

"What now?" asked Ranma, hoping not to find more monsters.

"Now you find part of what you need."

Ranma and Kasumi turned to see another man, this one maybe in his late twenties to early thirties and wearing camping gear. A friendly smile was on his face and he had short black hair.

"Do you mean those cards that the other men were talking about?" asked Kasumi.

"Well, not yet," the man shrugged. He then pointed to a large tree that was hollowed out in the middle. "It is something that you must use with the cards if you plan on succeeding in this task."

"Right," Ranma frowned. Gently letting go of Kasumi, he reassured her. "Just stay here. I'll get what's in there and be back before you know it."

"Don't be long," Kasumi spoke softly.

Nodding, Ranma turned and headed over to the tree. He kept an eye on the man who was sitting on a rock. The man didn't move an inch as Ranma walked. The pigtailed martial artist stepped inside the hollow and found something almost immediately. It was covered in moss, but still visible. Picking it up, it looked like a belt buckle of some kind. It was mainly silver with a clear red centre and nine symbols wrapped around the core. The edges looked like they were supposed to be gripped and pulled. Shrugging, Ranma emerged from the tree with the device in his hands.

"Ah you got it. Good," the man smiled. "You always were a good student."

"I've learned under you?" Ranma asked. "I sure don't remember."

"Well, it was you, but it also wasn't you," the man shrugged. He then looked out at the forest, where noises of movements were heard. "It looks like were about to have company."

Sure enough, several humanoid figures emerged from the brush. However, they were all humanoid animals of some kind. All of them were either male or female with a colored scarf. They all looked especially violent with snarls echoing from their mouths.

"Joy," Ranma growled as he dashed to Kasumi's side and took a battle stance.

"Better get moving," the man frowned as he removed his pack and produced a small turning fork with a gold demon face on it. Taking it, he tapped it on a nearby tree before holding it to his head. A gold demon face then emerged on his forehead before he ignited in purple flames.

"Oh my!" Kasumi gasped.

A low vocal tone echoed through the air as Ranma could faintly see the man's body change. Finally, he waved his arm and the flames went out. He was donned in purple/blue armor which looked like a second skin. A silver belt was across his waist with a drum-like centre. Silver metal chest armor was on his torso while his feet and hands were covered in red armor. His face was the same color as his body with red markings and horns and the gold demon face on the forehead. Attached to the back of his belt were two drumsticks which were red and had two demon heads on the tips. They looked like they were made of crystal.

"Hibiki," Kasumi breathed, recalling the face.

"You two had better get going," Hibiki spoke as he drew his weapons. "Things aren't going to be this peaceful for long."

With that, he charged at the monsters, the world turning silver as he went. Ranma and Kasumi could only watch as the man vanished. Before too long, they emerged from the silver limbo near a three story European house. It seemed a little cramped, but otherwise very nice.

The front door opened and a man came out. He had chin length black hair and seemed to be in his twenties. He had blue riding gloves on and a helmet under his arm. Looking at Ranma and Kasumi, a look of relief came over his face.

"About time you got to me," he smiled. "My name's Kazuma Kenzaki. Nice to meet you two. It's good to see you too Ranma, my successor."

"…you lost me," Ranma blinked.

"Ah, you'll find out later," Kenzaki grinned, playfully punching his shoulder. "You got the Decadriver I notice. So far so good. Now you just need to get the cards."

"Yeah, and where are those?" asked Ranma. He eyed the buckle he found and noticed that it looked brand new now. "These guys keep telling me about them but not where to actually get them!"

"Well, they aren't here," Kenzaki shrugged. "Maybe in the next world."

"Next world?" asked Kasumi.

Before Kenzaki could explain further, growls were heard coming from nearby. Turning to the source, Kanzaki frowned to see monsters walking towards them as a group. They all had various black or studded clothing on and looked to be hybrids of certain kinds of animals or plants. Strangely, they all had a single round belt on which had some rather mean-looking carvings on them. In all, they were a very terrifying group.

"Oh my," Kasumi whimpered.

"Tsk! They're getting faster," Kenzaki frowned. He drew a gray box with a clear centre and slid a card inside that depicted a rhino beetle with a spade on its back. Holding it to his waist, a red belt extended from it and wrapped around his waist. He then grabbed a handle on the side of the buckle and pulled with a cry of "Henshin!"

"**Turn Up!"**

A blue rectangular field depicted the image on the card flew from the belt and Kenzaki ran through it. He emerged on the other side wearing a blue bodysuit with silver armor and spades depicted on the shoulders and chest. His helmet was blue save for the silver face and the single horn rising from it. The eyes were two red orbs in which he could see through.

"That's Blade!" Kasumi gasped.

"Well, whoever he is, he needs help!" Ranma frowned as he prepared to leap into the battle alongside the armored man.

Ranma wanted to help the charging armored figure, but that didn't come to be. Instead, the world turned silver again, cutting him off from assisting the man in the battle against the monsters. Growling to himself, Ranma and Kasumi emerged in front of a large corporate building. A nearby sign called it Smart Brain, which Ranma thought was a dumb name.

"About time you two got here," a voice sighed. "I'm freezing out here and I hate the cold."

The owner of the voice was a man who was wearing a black coat and a pair of dark pants. He had long reddish brown hair that reached his shoulders. He kept his hands in his pockets as he walked over to the pair.

"And who are you?" asked Ranma. "Another guy who can turn into a suit of armor and fights monsters?"

"You got it," the man nodded. "Takumi Inui. You can't stay long though. They're getting wise. All I can say is that you're getting closer to the source of your powers. You don't have much farther to go."

Reaching into his coat, Takumi pulled out a silver belt that had a telescope and a camera attached to it. He wrapped the device around his waist and pulled out a cellphone. He then began punching numbers into it.

"You two had better get moving," he sighed. "Things are about to get ugly."

"_FAIZ!!_" a bestial voice roared out.

The voice belonged to one of many monsters that were racing up a set of stairs. All of them looked like ornate creatures that were either gray or white. They all looked rather angry too.

**5-5-5-ENTER**

"**Standing By."**

"Henshin!" Takumi cried as he inserted the phone into his belt and locked it in place.

"**Complete."**

Red lines rose from the belt and he flashed red. When the light died down, he was covered in a black bodysuit and silver chest armor that had the red lines running down his arms and legs. His head was covered in a black helmet that had large yellow eyes and a small mouth piece.

"Get going," Faiz muttered as he flicked his wrist. "Just a little further and you'll know what to do."

Ranma and Kasumi reluctantly obeyed since they knew whatever was sending them to these places was not going to let the martial artist help. As they backed away from Faiz, who was still staring down the approaching monsters, everything was covered in silver again. Kasumi and Ranma then emerged inside of a building. There were only three terminals and a desk. It looked to be an office for a magazine of some kind.

At one computer was a young man with red hair that was shoulder length. He had a white t-shirt on and jeans. On his chair was a blue jacket. The man didn't seem to notice the pair until he glanced up.

"Hey," he smiled. "Good to see you Ranma. My name's Shinji Kido, your predecessor."

"How can I succeed you?" asked Ranma while crossing his arms. "I've never met you before in my life!"

"Not this one," Shinji shrugged. "You're making good time. You're very close to the cards. A little further and you'll have them. Just keep a close eye on them or else you'll fail."

A ringing sound was heard, however only Shinji heard it. Ranma and Kasumi remained clueless. "They're here." Shinji got up and took out a rectangular case with a golden dragon's head stamped on the front. He held it out in front of him, facing the computer screen, a metal belt wrapped around his waist, with a slot in the front which the case would fit in.

"Henshin!" Shinji called as he threw his other arm across his chest before sliding the case into the belt's slot. He crossed his arms and then pulled them to his sides, fists clenched as black and white images overlapped his body to form a suit of armor. He was clad in a red bodysuit with black and silver armor. His helmet had red eyes concealed by a grilled visor. On his left arm was a gauntlet which depicted a dragon's head. On several sections of the armor like the shoulders and sides of his belt were round holes which looked like something could attach to.

"Ryuki," uttered Kasumi.

"Only you can save the worlds now, Ranma," said Ryuki before diving through the computer screens.

"Hey, wait!" Ranma called but then the silvery energy took him and Kasumi elsewhere. "Now what?" He was starting to get annoyed, even if it was cool to see these men in armor. The silver quickly faded away to reveal an abandoned construction site in the middle of the night.

"Now you find what you are looking for," another voice spoke up. Both Kasumi and Ranma turned, already expecting someone new. This man was wearing a pullover sweater and dark pants. His hair was brown and reached to his shoulder and he seemed to look like a perfectly normal man.

"Sorry for it being so late, but as you can probably guess, it can't wait," the man sighed. "Forgive my manners. My name is Shoichi Tsugami. I have something you'll want."

Reaching into his jacket, Shoichi pulled out a metal case which had the same colors as the Decadriver. Somewhat hesitant, Ranma took it into his hands, trying to examine it.

"That's the Ride Booker," Shoichi explained. "It has your cards in it. Keep it safe Ranma. You're going to need them. If you don't have them, you'll be powerless."

Ranma desperately wanted to ask questions, but that was halted when the sounds of clattering pipes captured his attention. Emerging from the darkness around them were animal men donned in robes or ceremonial dressing. All of them looked intimidating as they stared down the trio.

"_Agito…_" several of them growled, staring at Shoichi.

"And my time has run out," Shoichi frowned, summoning up his power. A swirl of white light appeared on his waist before it solidified into a belt. He raised his hands up briefly before bringing them back down on the buttons on the sides. "Henshin!"

Shoichi's body seemed to become enveloped in a shining light as it rippled before he emerged from it completely changed. Now he was donned in a black bodysuit which had mostly black armor. Still, the main section of the chest was gold along with the spikes rising from the shoulders. The horns were gold as well, with red eyes being the final part.

"Agito," Kasumi breathed.

"There's still one more!" Agito said to Ranma before he charged at the monsters. "Find him!"

Ranma gaped at the brave man before everything was covered in silver again. It was beginning to annoy him, but he knew he couldn't do anything about it. All he could really do was go with the flow. With nothing much else, he waited for the silver to clear. When it did, Kasumi and Ranma found themselves at some old ruins.

"This is the last place?" asked Kasumi.

"It is," a male voice replied. A man stepped out of the ruins. He was dressed in a tan coat with jeans. He had black hair and looked to be the kind of guy that people could easily get along with. "My name is Yuusuke Godai. Kamen Rider Kuuga."

"Oh! I saw you in my dreams!" Kasumi gasped.

"What you saw is a possible future," Yuusuke explained. "The Rider War."

"The Rider War?" asked Ranma.

"In our universe, there are nine Rider worlds which exist," Yuusuke explained. "They never meet and remained separate from each other. However, the nine worlds are being drawn together. If this continues, they would be overlapping and eventually destroy one another."

"The Rider War being the cause," Kasumi gasped.

"Can we stop it?" asked Ranma. This was pretty serious. The fate of the world itself was at stake in all this craziness?

"You can stop it," Yuusuke replied. "You who can travel to the nine worlds and prevent the destruction. It will be up to you to find what plagues that world and stop it before the problem becomes too severe and allows the world to fuse with the others."

"But why me? Why was I chosen?" Ranma asked.

"There is literally no one else," Yuusuke answered. "No one can be trusted with this task but you and only you."

Groans echoed from within the ruins and animalistic people began emerging from them. They all had gold buckles on their waists and wearing clothes which looked like they had come from an ancient tribe of people.

"Its up to you Ranma," Yuusuke frowned as he summoned a metal belt with a red core. "We can only hold it back so long. It will be up to you to stop it!"

Putting his arms through a motion, Yuusuke cried out "Henshin!" There was a beeping noise before Yuusuke was engulfed in a suit of armor. It was a black bodysuit with red chest armor and shoulders. Gold wrist bands and ankle bands were near his hands and feet. His helmet was black with red eyes and golden horns.

"Time is running out Ranma," Kuuga spoke as he took a battle stance. "You must stop what is occurring!"

Then he was gone.

The world had become engulfed with silver again. Kasumi was clutching onto Ranma for security while the world shifted. Finally, the silver faded away to reveal the familiar street and the Tendo Dojo that they both called home.

"Oh…my," Kasumi gasped. "Oh my, oh my, oh my. Ranma, I need to sit down now."

"Yeah," Ranma agreed. "I think I need to as well."

Stumbling towards the dojo, Ranma and Kasumi both tried to figure out what it was that they had been subjected to. Obviously it was something big, way bigger than they had ever conceived. They had proof of it too since Ranma was still in possession of the Ride Booker and the Decadriver. That was their evidence that what they had seen had really happened. Of course, the question was what they were going to do about it.

"Do…do you really think what those men said is true?" Kasumi asked timidly as the pair sat at the table. No one was home and Nabiki left a note saying she would be at the camera shop.

"Not sure," Ranma sighed as he looked at the two items he had claimed. "But after what I saw, I'm willing to believe them."

"Me too," Kasumi nodded.

Ranma studied the Ride Booker and Decadriver. Placing the buckle down, he opened up the book-like device. In it were cards. If Ranma was going to prepare for the upcoming danger, he would need to study his new equipment. It would mean the life of death of his and 9 other worlds.

"Looks like a tough job," said Ranma, "But I think I'll be able to do it." He then asked, "By the way, can you tell me more about these dreams you've been having? You keep saying you know who those guys were even if you only saw them in dreams."

"They're all the same really," Kasumi sighed. "I'm standing in the middle of a deserted canyon and suddenly it erupts in war. All these men in suits appear but get beaten by something. I try to help them, but then the one they were fighting appears. A man in a suit called Decade. He was wearing the belt and book that you have right now."

"Wow. He sounds pretty tough," Ranma grimaced. "Do you think he might come looking for this stuff?"

"I hope not," Kasumi frowned. "He was scary."

* * *

**TIME BREAK**

* * *

Kasumi had a very stressful day and she really needed to relax. So, she went out on the town and went to try and get some bath supplies for herself. She just loved a soothing soak in the furo. After today, she really needed it. She had seen too much for even her calm spirit to take.

"Whew," Kasumi sighed as she found the store. "I need this."

Stepping closer to the door, Kasumi froze in rising terror. The store in front of her was being engulfed in silver like the world had been earlier. Gasping in fear, she tried to get away. However, the silver veil easily overtook her and left her standing in a plaza of some kind.

"H-hello?" Kasumi stuttered out.

Shuffling noises caused her to cry out in terror. Turning, her scream grew louder as she saw several of the green cocoon monsters which Kabuto fought. She couldn't forget the image of those monsters. The insect-like monsters were all snarling at her. Even though there were four of them, she still felt like there was a mob of them after her.

"Someone help!" Kasumi cried as she ran from the attacking monsters.

* * *

Ranma blinked as he looked into the sky. His eyes widened when he saw the signs of a silver veil hanging in the air.

"Oh no," he gasped. "Kasumi!"

Dashing outside, Ranma discovered something out there waiting for him. From the looks of it, it was a motorcycle. It was decorated red, white, and black with grooves in it. Even though he was used to roof hopping, Ranma instead got on the bike and hit the ignition. The machine roared to life and he began tearing down the streets. Even though he had no clue how to drive, he somehow instinctively knew how to use the machine.

Tearing around corners, he finally came to a stop in front of the veil in question. It was hard to see through, but Ranma could tell that it led to a kind of plaza. Dashing up to the veil, he tried to pass through it, but was met with solid resistance. Trying to peer through it, he gasped when he saw Kasumi running towards him on the other side.

"Oi, Kasumi! Kasumi!" Ranma shouted as he pounded against the silvery barrier separating him and Kasumi.

"Ranma, help me!" Kasumi pleaded.

"I'm trying!" Ranma then looked behind Kasumi and saw…Kasumi?

Kasumi followed her gaze and turned to see her look-alike grinning at her maliciously before it morphed into one of the same creature Kabuto had fought. It then shed its skin to reveal a new form resembling a red humanoid mosquito in a cloak. Kasumi screamed as it came at her along with several other insect-like creatures. They had a hungry gaze trained on Kasumi as the stepped closer to her, raising their insect-like arms.

Ranma froze. This wasn't happening. He couldn't fail…and then he remembered the items he'd found. Was he supposed to use them?

He took them out of his pockets and then looked at the veil. Kasumi was fortunate that her good luck was protecting her as she avoided attacks from those creatures. Ranma narrowed his eyes and placed the Decadriver on his waist. A silver belt strap wrapped around and fastened the device onto his waist. He then pulled the handles, causing the buckle to twist up. He quickly opened up the Ride Booker and by an unknown instinct took out the card depicting the red, black and white armored Decade.

Without hesitation, he called out, "Henshin!" and slipped the card into the belt buckle before pushing the handles to reset it.

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!"**

The same symbols that were on the belt surrounded Ranma as ghostly figures formed and then overlapped his body, donning him in a black and white suit of armor. Red panels shot out of the belt and then set themselves onto his helmet, filling in some of the parts of his suit with red as his eyes flashed green. Instantly, the veil shattered and shards of it hit the Worms attacking Kasumi. When Kasumi looked towards Ranma, she gasped.

Decade and Ranma…were one and the same!

"Get away from Kasumi!" Decade growled as he ran at the recovering Worms.

Suddenly, the four monsters vanished in blurs of speed. Grimacing, Ranma looked in the direction they ran, "Worms. Always running." He reached to his belt and pulled out one of the cards depicting a man in a suit. "Henshin!" He then threw the card into his belt.

"**Kamen Ride: Caucasus!"**

Decade was covered in a hexagonal field. It left him wearing a black bodysuit with gold chest armor which looked like a beetle's abdomen. One shoulder was rounded while the other looked like the horns of the Caucasus beetle. The head was covered with a gold helmet that had three horns on it. The middle horn bisected the green visor, turning it into two large eyes. The belt remained the same however.

"And for my next trick," Decade-Caucasus spoke as he drew another card and threw it in his belt.

"**Attack Ride: Clock Up!"**

He blurred out of sight but was in truth moving at the same speed as the Worms. He drew his Ride Booker which converted into Sword Mode before he rushed through the horde of Worms, slashing at them with his weapon. The Worms attempted to fight back, but Decade-Caucasus fought like he had faced the monsters before and dodged their swipes while retaliating just as fast. All around them the world was still as they fought at high speeds. D-Caucasus ran his sword through the gut of a Worm before slashing another one through the abdomen. Dodging a blow from a third, he cut it down the middle before slashing the last one across the chest.

When the Clock Up ended, D-Caucasus hefted his weapon upon his shoulder as the Worms exploded in green flames, destroyed by their wounds.

"Decade…?" said Kasumi, stunned by Ranma's transformation.

"That's what the belt said," D-Caucasus answered. Walking towards her, the Decadriver turned up and spat out the Kamen Rider card. The Kamen Rider was covered in a red pixilated haze before emerging as regular Decade. The image on the card then vanished in a haze of blue fire.

"Woah," Decade frowned. He then replaced the card in the Ride Booker before he turned to Kasumi. "Let's go home."

"I'd like that," Kasumi nodded.

Gently helping Kasumi onto the Machine Decader, Decade then mounted the bike and began drove down away from the plaza. The streets of Nerima were gone, meaning that they were completely through the veil now. The trick was finding one which would take them home.

Driving through the streets, a veil suddenly rose up. Decade couldn't turn away in time before he already passed through. Both he and Kasumi emerged from the veil, driving through what seemed to be a moonlit dockyard. Decade halted for a moment before he looked around and got his bearings.

"_FOOD!_" a voice cried out.

Decade turned as saw several Fangires emerging from the woodwork and running at the pair.

"Get behind me!" Decade ordered Kasumi as he dismounted and walked towards the monsters. He drew a card from the Ride Booker and prepared himself. "Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Kiva!"**

Decade's armor turned into silver before it shifted and shattered. In its place was the armor which she recognized as Kiva's. D-Kiva clenched his fists and charged at the assembling Fangires with no fear. Like the previous suit, the Decariver remained the same.

He leaped through the air and kicked a Shark Fangire in the head, knocking it over. Recovering, Decade-Kiva roundhouse kicked a Moth Fangire in the side of the head before punching a Sheep Fangire in the neck, making it choke. He dodged a strike from a Warthog Fangire before getting himself some space. Pulling out a card, he threw it into his belt.

"**Form Ride: Kiva Garuru!"**

Chains wrapped around D-Kiva's chest and left arm, covering them in cobalt blue armor. The chest had silver marks on the sides while the arm appeared to be more animal-like. It reminded Kasumi of a wolf when she saw it for herself. The yellow eyes then turned bright blue to match the new armor. A red light emerged from the Decadriver before it formed into a kris-like sword with a wolf head hilt and a gold blade.

"Hyraaaa!" D-Kiva roared as he lunged at the four Fangires. He slashed wildly at the four of them, making them cry out in pain. However, they all got back up and charged at the armored fighter again. This time, D-Kiva thrust forward and pierced the chest of the Sheep Fangire. The blade went straight through piercing the Moth and Shark before digging into the head of the Warthog. All four monsters crystallized in rainbow light before their bodies shattered like glass.

As the stained glass shards hit the ground, Decade-Kiva pixilated before returning to his regular form. The Kiva card popped out of his belt and the image vanished in blue flames. Sighing, Decade replaced the card in the Ride Booker before he saw something in the Fangire remains. Leaning down, he brushed the shards away to find something familiar.

"The Nanban Mirror?" Decade blinked. Didn't Cologne have it? Then again, since the world kept changing, she probably had lost it in the chaos and one of the Fangires must have picked it up. However, the broken glass was missing. The only thing left was the frame and all the shards of mirror glass were missing. "Oh man."

Sighing, Decade stuck the frame of the Nanban Mirror onto his belt and walked back to the Machine Decader. Kasumi was crouched behind the machine, quivering slightly. This was quickly becoming too much to her. She was usually never involved in the chaos that followed Ranma around.

"Are you okay?" Decade asked gently.

"I want to go home…" Kasumi whimpered.

"Okay. Okay. We'll go home," Decade nodded, gently resting Kasumi back onto the Machine Decader. Revving the machine, Decade roared off down the streets again. The pair didn't get too far before another veil jumped them. Phasing through, the pair ended up on the street in front of the Tendo Dojo again.

"Wow. That was fast," Decade admired. "Hey Kasumi, we're back."

"Thank goodness," Kasumi sighed, resting her head on the Kamen Rider's back.

"_Raaahhhhhhh!_" a new voice cried as a gray beast lunged at the driving pair.

"Woah!" Decade cried as he swerved to avoid the attack. Kasumi shrieked and held Decade's back, hoping that whatever attacked them would just go away.

Spinning out in the street, Decade turned his machine around to face what attacked them. This monster was a deep gray and looked like an ox-man. It had a snarling face and large horns. It was hunched over with a wide body. Its arms seemed to be a little spindly, but its fists were huge with chains attached to the arms and hands as if the fists might have fallen off.

"Orphenochs," Decade hissed. Leaping off the Machine Decader, Decade drew another card while converting his Ride Booker into its gun form.

"**Attack Ride: Blast!"**

The Ride Booker was a flurry of movement as the Ox Orphenoch got shot by the weapon. Red bullets fired with unnerving accuracy and strength, making sparks fly from the Ox Orphenoch at every impact. Snarling with rage, the beast charged forward and tried to punch him with its enlarged fists. Decade sidestepped he attack and used an elbow drop on the Orphenoch's head. The beast was stunned for a moment, which Decade capitalized on. He planted several more punches and kicks to the monster's face and torso. With the monster suitably stunned for the time being, Decade pushed the monster away with a final kick between the eyes, making it stumble.

"I'm getting tired of you guys attacking me and Kasumi," Decade frowned as he drew another card. This one was gold and had the Decade symbol on the front. "This will be the last!" he tossed the card into the Decadriver and activated it.

"**Final Attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade!"**

Nine golden cards appeared in the air between the Orphenoch and Decade. The Kamen Rider then leaped into the air, the cards making a path as he leaped into the air. Gravity quickly took back its grip as Decade moved into a kicking position. He reached the first of the nine cards and phased through it, appearing out of the next card. A golden barcode circled around him as he phased through each card. Finally, he passed through the final card and his kick collided with the Orphenoch. The beast gave a cry of pain as it was sent sprawling backwards. Blue flames erupted along its body as it cried out in pain. Finally, it collapsed onto the ground and exploded with those blue flames. Then, its body crumbled into dust, leaving a vague shape behind as the blue flames died out.

"I could definitely get used to this," said Decade, referring to the power he'd gotten. The rush was incredible and he nearly forgotten that he had a huge responsibility. As he was about to head back to where Kasumi was sitting, he noticed something about the pile of dust which used to be an Orphenoch. It was pretty faint, but he could see something glinting in the sunlight underneath the pile of gray dust. "Huh?"

Brushing aside the dust which had been an Orphenoch a minute ago, Decade picked up what seemed to be a shard of mirror glass. As he did, the Decade card was spit out of the Decadriver, undoing the transformation and leaving the armored fighter as regular Ranma Saotome.

"Woah," Ranma breathed, feeling the adrenaline still push him on. Turning back, he saw Kasumi still safe and sound with the Machine Decader. Sighing, he waved to the frightened Tendo. "It's gone! You don't have to worry."

"Whew," Kasumi sighed, standing up. She was still trembling slightly, indicating her fear. "Today just isn't my day."

"I don't think this is anyone's day," Ranma replied. He was still looking at the shard of reflective glass that was found in the Orphenoch remains. "Although it is looking up."

"Maybe," Kasumi nodded. "But what did you find?"

"I think it's a piece of the Nanban Mirror," Ranma replied as he revealed the shard and the glass-less mirror. "It's weird enough to be it."

Blinking, Kasumi looked down into the reflection she cast on the shard and stared. Her own reflection was on it indeed, but the scenery wasn't the same. Instead, it looked like a parking lot with her in it. "Oh my!"

"Yeah," Ranma nodded. "But my reflection is weird though. Take a look."

Ranma repositioned himself so Kasumi could see his reflection and gasped. While her own reflection remained unchanged, Ranma's was drastically different. He was donned in a new suit of armor. This one had a silver chest, red lines on the body, and a helmet which had large yellow eyes.

"But that's Faiz," Kasumi gasped.

"I know," Ranma nodded. "It's weird." He added, "And I think this is only the beginning."

As Ranma tried to examine the shard of the magical mirror more closely, he also brought the rest of the Nanban Mirror close to it out of trying to hold both objects at once. When the two pieces were close enough, the shard jumped out of Ranma's hand and connected with the rest of the mirror. The shard slipped into the casing and came to rest like in a puzzle. The empty space of the mirror then lit up as if it were complete, revealing the helmeted face of Fiaz staring back at them. Suddenly, the entire mirror flashed with a bright silver light which blinded Ranma and Kasumi.

The light died down and the two had to rub their eyes for a moment to get the spots out of them. Ranma glared at the mirror which was still reflecting Faiz in the single shard. Of course, Kasumi was looking elsewhere. She quickly realized that they weren't on their home street anymore. They weren't at the Tendo Dojo either. They were in fact in the middle of a parking lot with the Machine Decader parked in one of the places.

"Ahhh….Ranma?" Kasumi gasped.

"Huh?" Ranma blinked as he looked up. His eyes widened when he saw that they weren't at the dojo anymore. "Oh man. The stupid mirror sent us somewhere again!"

"But…where did it send us?" asked Kasumi.

Ranma looked down on the mirror which only had a single shard in it, "I think I might have a good idea as to where."

"What do we do now?" Kasumi asked fearfully.

"Simple," Ranma shrugged as he brought Kasumi over to the Machine Decader. Both of them mounted it before Ranma hit the ignition. "We drive, we find a place to stay, and we try to figure out what we're supposed to do here. You still have your purse right?"

"Yes," Kasumi nodded as she raised the bag in question. "But I'm not sure how much we have at the moment. I think your father tried to steal some money out of it when he and father went out drinking."

"Stupid panda," Ranma growled. "Okay, we'll make due. Just hold on."

Driving out of the parking lot, Ranma and Kasumi tried to find someplace where they could get some rest. At the very least they could get themselves something to eat. Both of them were beginning to feel hunger after the adventure they had been dealt with so far. Ranma more so than Kasumi since he was the one who had to fight monsters that day. As they began their search though, they also knew that a lot more insanity was probably on the horizon if they understood the situation properly.

As the pair drove out of the parking lot, they didn't notice a man watching them go like a hawk. He wore a simple trench coat and a brown hat. He seemed to be in his forties or so with a small pair of glasses on his face. He was frowning deeply as his eyes were trained on Decade, "Decade. Your journey to the Rider Worlds will end before it has even begun." The man's gaze narrowed before he started walking in the direction that the Machine Decader had driven off in.

**Meanwhile…**

In another part of the city, in an underground tunnel which connected to a parking lot, two figures were fighting. One was a gray monster which had something akin to a hat on its face and large fins coming out of its shoulders. In its hands were two pistols that fired constantly as the beast attempted to attack its target. This monster was known as the Bat Orphenoch, one of the many agents which its masters had in its arsenal.

The second figure was donned in a black bodysuit which had red lines running over the arms, legs, and torso. He had silver chest armor and metal boots. Metal rings were on the arms and even the fingertips were covered in metal. Around his waist was a belt which looked like it had a cell phone for a buckle with the Phi symbol stamped on it. The helmet was mainly black save fore the large yellow eyes which were glowing in the low light. Around the eyes was a red border which looked much like the symbol Phi. A pair of antennae rose from the top of the helmet, giving it a slight insect appearance. He easily dodged the shots that the Bat Orphenoch was making.

This was the Rider of this world, protector of the human race and enemy of the Orphenochs, Kamen Rider Faiz!

"_You can't escape your destiny, King!_" the Bat Orphenoch shouted. "_Accept it and lead us to conquering the humans!_"

"Never," Faiz growled.

Dodging another shot, Faiz pulled out what looked like a camera from his belt. He then removed the Missions Memory chip which was attached to his buckle. Taking the Mission Memory, he attached it to his camera over the lens, making a handle fall out of the machine. Gripping it, Faiz clenched his fist so he had a good grip so not to drop it, making the camera look like a knuckle duster. Faiz then opened his cell phone and punched the 'enter' button.

"**Exceed Charge."**

A red pulse of energy surged up from Faiz' belt and through the red lines decorating his suit as the phone spoke. The pulse of energy traveled up Faiz' body and down his arm into the knuckle duster gripped in his hand. Taking a cleansing breath, Faiz charged at the Bat Orphenoch with his fist raised; ready to punch his opponent with the knuckle duster. The Bat Orphenoch shot several more rounds, attempting to hit Faiz, but the Kamen Rider easily dodged all the shots with a well-timed roll or jump. Getting close enough, Faiz sent his fist forward and dug the end of the knuckle duster into the Bat Orphenoch's chest. The monster cried in pain as a blast of energy from the punch sent it flying before it hit the ground. It grunted for a moment before it exploded in a mass of blue flames with a red Phi symbol hanging in the air like an omen. The Bat Orphenoch's body then crumbled into a pile of dust.

Faiz sighed and relaxed his stance, putting the knuckle duster back into his belt and placing the Mission Memory back where it belonged. Sparing only a passing glance at what once had been the Bat Orphenoch, Faiz turned his back and began walking away. As he got farther, the darkness got deeper with the red lines on his armor becoming brighter.

To Be Continued…

Next Time:

Ranma: So this is Faiz's World huh?

Kasumi: Oh my! Ranma! Look over there!

Ranma: Huh? No way! That's…!

Faiz: No way. It can't be! You're…!

* * *

A/N: Say hello to my summer project.


	2. Faiz World Pt1

**I do not own Kamen Rider Decade or Ranma ½. Those belong to their respective creators and not me!**

**Journey through the Decade**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**Chapter 2: Faiz World**

**A/N: Ranma---Kamen Rider Decade**

**Ranma-Faiz---Kamen Rider Faiz**

"Anyplace you'd like to go to?" asked Ranma.

"I can't think of anywhere," Kasumi shrugged. "Anywhere you'd like to go is fine."

"Well I say food comes first but you're the one who deals with that sort of thing," Ranma replied. "It's all up to you."

"Then food it is," Kasumi smiled.

Ranma and Kasumi were driving down the streets of Tokyo on the Machine Decader, looking for a good place to eat. They had already been forced to deal with way more insanity than anything else that they were used to. Ranma had been told that his world was on the verge of destruction along with nine other worlds and that he was the one who had to save them. To do so, he had discovered a bit of technology which allowed him to become Kamen Rider Decade. It was a card system which allowed him to use different attacks and powers, including the abilities of other Kamen Riders if he so desired.

During the small adventure Ranma undertook in saving Kasumi from a number of monsters, he had discovered the Nanban Mirror which had been severely damaged. Not just broken like in their other adventure involving the magic item, but all of the glass was missing, making the item useless. However, when an Orphenoch attacked the pair, Ranma destroyed it as Decade and discovered a piece of the mirror in the remains. The proof that the shard belonged to the mirror was proven when instead of Ranma's reflection, the reflection of a Kamen Rider named Faiz was found instead. When Ranma brought the two pieces close together, they fused and transported both Ranma and Kasumi to a new place, but where it was they didn't know yet. Ranma had a sneaking suspicion though.

While the layout of where they were was new, Ranma's instincts to finding food were as sharp as ever. It wasn't too long before they had quickly parked at a shopping complex where lots of places to eat could be found.

"This should do," Ranma nodded.

"I think so too," Kasumi smiled.

Dismounting the bike, Ranma and Kasumi began their search for someplace to grab a bite to eat. At least there seemed to be a nice selection. Still, it felt strange being in a new world. It still felt like their regular world to the both of them. Of course, that would just make blending in a little easier.

"EEYYAAAAHHHHHH!"

"What was that?!" Ranma gasped.

The source of the scream came from an oncoming mess of people who were running for their lives. All of them were in total fear of what they were seeing. Ranma wasn't one to look for where people were running, but what they were running from. Managing to squeeze himself through the crowds, he managed to see what they were running from.

Orphenochs.

Three of them were actually fighting each other underneath one of the skylights in the ceiling. One was a metallic gray with two sharp swords and a pointed helmet which gave it a deadly appearance. A Swordfish Orphenoch. The second looked like a walking fungi with a grille covering its face and a large mushroom cap on its head, the Mushroom Orphenoch. The third was being double teamed by the other two. It was serpentine in appearance with a snake's head in the centre of its chest and snakes coiled around its arms and legs. Its feet looked like snake heads and hanging from behind its head like hair were even more snakes which vanished inside of a snake-like helmet. Its entire body was a mixture of grey and white. It appeared to be an Orochi Orphenoch.

Off to the side, Ranma spotted a slightly pudgy Orphenoch with bumps running over its body with large palms were running after two people. One looked like a girl around Kasumi's age if not older. She was holding a black case and was keeping it away from the Orphenoch almost desperately. With her was a skinny guy with slightly spiked hair and rather clean clothes. He was trying to use a janitor's broom to hold the Seacucumber Orphenoch off, but it didn't appear to be very effective.

"Looks like lunch will have to wait," said Ranma as he whipped out the Decadriver and strapped it on. Taking hold of the card, Ranma quickly called out, "Henshin!" as he slipped the card in and pushed the handles to reset the buckle.

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!"**

Nine symbols that changed into ghostly images converged onto Ranma, forming his suit of armor. The red panels flew from his belt and merged with his helmet, filling the colored sections of the armor. He reached to his Ride Booker and tried to pull out a Kamen Rider card, but found it blank. Another Rider card proved blank. All of them were blank.

"Fine, I'll do this as Decade then," Decade sighed.

Dashing forward, he unfolded the Ride Booker into its sword formation. He then leaped into the air and used the Swordfish Orphenoch as a pedestal before leaping onto the second floor where the Seacucumber Orphenoch was trying to get what was in the girl's hands. Taking the weapon, he slashed the gray monster, making it stumble back.

"_Gah!_" the Orphenoch cried as it stumbled backwards. It looked up at the armored figure who had attacked it. "_Who are you?_"

"Just a Kamen Rider who's passing through," Decade shrugged as he gripped his weapon. "Remember that."

"_Grrr! No human can beat an Orphenoch!_" the Seacucumber Orphenoch growled as it lunged at Decade. The two people could only watch in shock as they found this man who was defending him.

Below, the Orochi Orphenoch dodged a swipe from the Swordfish Orphenoch while it kicked away the Toadstool Orphenoch. The Swordfish growled as he got his footing back and glared at the reptile.

"_Why are you fighting against us?!_" the Swordfish Orphenoch demanded. "_We are your own people! You're supposed to lead us! Bring us the world we deserve!_"

"_And let you all destroy good people because of your arrogance, greed, and hate?_" demanded the Orochi Orphenoch as it clubbed the Mushroom Orphenoch in the face. "_I don't think so!_ _I will never join the likes of you!_"

"_Then we'll drag you back to Smart Brain by force!_" the Swordfish Orphenoch growled. Gripping his blades, he charged back at the battle.

Kasumi watched the fight while hiding behind a support pillar. What did that snake-man's voice sound so familiar?

Decade avoided the attacks from the Seacucumber Orphenoch before countering with his own slashes. He then knocked the Orphenoch backwards with a punch and followed up with a side kick. The Orphenoch let out a shout and lunged for Decade who just leapt over the Orphenoch and then kicked his feet down to pin the monster against the ground. He then stepped off his opponent and made a taunting 'come here' gesture with his hand. "Hey, are you going to lie there all day or come and get me?"

The Orphenoch took the bait as he picked itself up and charged at Decade who had inserted a card into his belt buckle.

"**Attack Ride: Slash!"**

Decade let out a battle cry as he slashed at the Orphenoch repeatedly, his blade leaving a trail of after images as he swung. One last slash caused the Orphenoch to erupt in blue flames before crumbling to dust. Decade hefted the sword on his shoulder and asked the two civilians, "Are you okay?"

"Wow," the man gasped in shock. However, the girl gasped when she managed to get her mind back to the situation at hand. Running to the railing which surrounded the floor they were on, she saw the Orochi Orphenoch still fighting the Swordfish and Toadstool Orphenochs for all he was worth.

"Ranma!" the girl cried to the Orochi Orphenoch. "Hurry! Over here!"

"What?!" Decade and Kasumi gasped from their positions on the battlefield.

The Orochi Orphenoch looked up to the two civilians who were safe from the Seacucumber Orphenoch. Grabbing the two enemy Orphenochs by the heads, it smashed their noggins together and stunned them both. With the two Orphenochs stunned, the Orochi Orphenoch dashed towards the two civilians. As the Orphenoch came closer, its body began to shift. The Orochi Orphenoch's human form seemed to be a regular teenage kid. He had black hair which was tied into a short pigtail. He was wearing a red Chinese shirt and black tang pants. He also wore Chinese slippers on his feet. He had fierce blue eyes and a determined frown on his face.

The Orochi Orphenoch was Ranma Saotome.

"Mari!" This Ranma shouted up to the young woman. "Throw it down to me!"

"Right!" the woman nodded before she dropped the black case. Ranma caught it in his hands. With the case secured in his hands, he undid the latches and opened it to reveal a silver belt, a phone, a flashlight, and a camera. Ranma attached the flashlight and camera to the belt before he wrapped the belt around his waist. He then grabbed the cellphone and started punching in a code.

**5-5-5-ENTER**

"**Standing By."**

Ranma then shut the phone and raised it into the air, "Henshin!" He then attached the phone to a hollow centre of the belt before locking it in place.

"**Complete."**

Red lines rose up Ranma's body and he was enveloped in red light. When it died down, he was donned in a black bodysuit with red lines on it. He had silver chest armor and shoulder pads. Metal bands were on his forearms and shins and even his fingertips were covered in metal. The helmet he now wore was black and had two large yellow eyes and a small mouth guard. A pair of red antennae rose from the forehead, giving an insect-like appearance.

He had become Kamen Rider Faiz!

(Play Kamen Rider Faiz Opening Theme)

_**Hirogaru uchuu no naka Can you feel?**_

_**Chiisa na hoshi no hanashi wo shiyou**_

Flicking his wrist, Faiz dashed at the two Orphenochs, being much faster than his bulky Orphenoch form. The Swordfish Orphenoch slashed at him, but Faiz rolled underneath it. Swiping his leg, he tripped the fishy Orphenoch up, making it land on its back. The Mushroom Orphenoch charged with its mace, hoping to crush Faiz with it. The technologic Rider pressed the advantage and managed to punch his opponent in the gut.

_**Tell me the truth shinjite 'ta mirai ga**_

_**Kuzuresarou to shite 'ru**_

Decade quickly got over seeing himself fighting as Faiz. Gripping his sword, he leaped off of the second floor and landed on the ground. He dashed across the shopping centre and into the battle. He didn't hesitate as he lunged at the Swordfish Orphenoch which had been aiming at Faiz' back. Deflecting its sword with his own, he kicked the Orphenoch away.

"_Who are you?!_" the enraged Orphenoch demanded, getting his balance back from the unexpected attack.

"Like I told your bumpy friend, just a Kamen Rider who's passing through," Decade shrugged.

_**Kanashimi wo kurikaeshi**_

_**Boku-ra wa doko e yuku no darou?**_

Faiz noticed the armored figure that was fighting the other Orphench. He didn't know who the guy was, but he wasn't going to complain. He dodged another strike from the Mushroom Orphenoch before he kicked it in the face.

Decade blocked the two swords of the Swordfish Orphenoch before pushing the enemy back. Slashing wildly, sparks ripped off the monster's chest, making it cry out in pain as it stumbled backwards. Decade didn't hesitate to press his advantage.

_**Ima hitori-hitori no mune no naka**_

_**Me wo samase The time to go**_

_**Tsuyoku aru tame ni**_

Faiz was clubbed in the chest from the Mushroom Orphenoch's club. He managed to recover in time to avoid being hit by it again by rolling to the side. The club smashed through a pillar which was behind Faiz, indicating just how much force the Orphenoch was putting into the attack.

_**Mata mamoru koto to tatakau koto**_

_**Dilemma wa owaranai... hashiri-tsuzukete mo**_

_**End justifaiz the means**_

Decade parried several sword blows with the Swordfish Orphenoch. Having fought some people who were skilled with blades, it was becoming obvious that the Swordfish Orphenoch was self-taught. Its biology was giving it a rather considerable advantage against regular opponents, but Ranma Saotome was never a regular opponent. Not by a long shot. That fact was becoming even more obvious since he became Kamen Rider Decade.

_**Ashita no kono sora sae Keep your real**_

_**Eien ja nai kamo shirenai**_

Faiz kicked the Mushroom Orphenoch in the face, making it stumble backwards. Pressing his advantage, he unleashed what everyone who knew Ranma recognized as the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken. Over one hundred mach speed punches collided with the Mushroom Orphenoch's face. The rapid impacts made several sparks fly from the Orphenoch's skin, forcing it to stumble backwards, stunned. Faiz didn't need another signal to take advantage of the attack.

_**Over again messeeji wo okuru**_

_**Byouyomi wa hajimatta...**_

"_Give up! You can't beat an Orphenoch! We're the superior species!_" the Swordfish Orphenoch crowed as it and Decade pressed their blades heavily against each other. Decade just stared into its gray eyes through his green visor.

"Watch me," he answered simply.

_**Boku-ra ni wa mada kitto**_

_**Yaru beki koto ga aru no nara...**_

"_Why do you fight us so?!_" demanded the Mushroom Orpheoch. "_Surely you can tell that we Orphenochs are the superior to humans! We're the next step in evolution! It's our right to take this world!_"

"I don't see superiority," Faiz frowned. "I just see a bunch of deluded idiots who think that because they can do something others can't, they deserve to rule the world and hold the right to wipe out innocent people because of what they are!"

_**Ima hitori-hitori no mune no naka**_

_**Yobisamase The way you go**_

_**Shinjitsu wo sagase**_

Decade ducked underneath another slash from the Swordfish Orphenoch before he kicked upwards, knocking the swords out of its hands. Switching the Ride Booker into its gun form, he fired several rounds into the Orphenoch's chest. The beast cried out in pain as it stumbled backwards, giving Decade plenty of space as he prepared to unleash his final attack.

_**Mata shinjiru koto utagau koto**_

_**Dilemma ga kiri ga nai... samayoi-tsuzukeru**_

_**End justifaiz the means**_

Faiz cupped his hands together and collected hi Ki, creating an orange sphere of energy which was tinted red as energy from the Kamen Rider's suit bled into his fighting spirit. The Mushroom Orphenoch growled as it charged at Faiz with its club held high, ready to knock Faiz silly.

"MOKO TAKABISHA!" Faiz yelled, launching the orb of ki at the Orphenoch. The attack collided with the force of a bullet, making the Orphenoch cry in pain as sparks flew from his body, knocking him backwards and gave Faiz the time he needed to end the fight.

_**Kanashimi wo kurikaeshi**_

_**Boku-ra wa doko e yuku no darou?**_

"Time to end it," both Faiz and Decade spoke softly, not knowing that they had spoken the exact same phrase.

_**Ima hitori-hitori no mune no naka**_

_**Me wo samase The time to go**_

_**Tsuyoku aru tame ni**_

_**Mata mamoru koto to tatakau koto**_

_**Dilemma wa owaranai... hashiri-tsuzukete mo**_

_**End justifaiz the means**_

The Mushroom Orphenoch managed to recover quickly and charged again, but Faiz kicked the Orphenoch backwards and flicked his wrist. He first removed the Mission Memory from his cell phone and then took the flashlight off his belt. He slid the Mission Memory into a slot which was located on the handle of the device. The head of the flashlight extended as its hidden function prepared to be used.

"**Ready."**

He then attached the flashlight onto his right foot and opened up the phone to press the 'enter' button.

"**Exceed Charge."**

A red pulse of energy traveled from Faiz' belt and down into his leg. Kneeling down in preparation for an attack, the item on Faiz' leg began to glow as the energy was stored inside. While Faiz was doing this, Decade had drawn a card and slid it into his belt.

"**Final Attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade!"**

Faiz leaped into the air and aimed his foot at the recovering Mushroom Orphenoch. Pointing his foot outward, a blast of red light shot out from the flashlight. The beam shot down to the Mushroom Orphenoch and opened up into a spinning cone when it stopped. Faiz continued his flying kick, aiming to hit the centre of the cone.

"Hyaaaaahhh!" he cried, reaching the cone. His body then turned into red energy as he entered the cone and the entire construct drilled into the Mushroom Orphenoch. The monster gave a cry of pain before the energy passed through it and Faiz reappeared behind it.

The Mushroom Orphenoch gagged and tried to stay up, but the blue flames rising from its body revealed that it was close to death.

"_Why…have you…forsaken us?_" was all the Orphenoch could say before blue flames exploded out from it, leaving a red Phi symbol in the air. The monster's body then crumbled into dust.

Decade's nine cards appeared in the distance between himself and the Swordfish Orphenoch. Leaping into the air, he moved into a kicking position as he reached the first golden projection. He phased through all nine cards before coming out the final one and colliding with a kick against the Swordfish Orphenoch, making it cry in pain as it was sent sailing against a support pillar. Blue flames began igniting along its body as it began to break down.

"_How could…a human…beat…an…Orphenoch?_" the monster groaned before its body exploded with blue flames. The body then crumbled into dust, leaving a pile of ashes.

The two Orphenochs were now gone, but now there was another issue as Faiz and Decade stared at each other. Decade was staring at Faiz in confusion and puzzlement. Faiz was doing the same while not at the same degree as Decade, he wondered who this newcomer was.

"Halt! Police!" a voice cried out.

Faiz looked to where the entrance of the mall was with Decade following his gaze. To the otherworldly Rider's shock, several police officers dressed in full riot gear were coming through the doors with shields and batons at the ready. Decade gulped at seeing the police looking like they meant business while Faiz was already on the move. He had dashed over to where the girl and the young man were hiding, watching the fight, "Mari! Keitaro! Let's go!"

"Yeah!" the young man, Keitaro, nodded.

"Right!" Mari agreed.

The two dashed out of sight, looking for another exit where the police weren't flooding in their riot gear. Faiz had just taken a few steps when he turned back to look at Decade, "You'd better get out of here too. The cops don't appreciate people who fight Orphenochs and will try to bust you."

"They will?" Decade blinked.

Faiz nodded before he dashed away from the police, deeper into the plaza so to escape. Decade just looked over at the oncoming police and decided that making tracks was a good idea. Running over to Kasumi, he picked her up in a bridal carry with a surprised 'oh my' before dashing off into the mall as well. He moved past several stores before finding one of the side exits which led them out into the open. Setting Kasumi down, he yanked the Decadriver from his waist, dismissing the transformation and returning to Ranma Saotome. However, when the transformation was undone, Ranma wasn't wearing his usual clothes anymore. He was donned in a gray school uniform for a high school student with a red tie. The name on the crest was a logo of Smart Brain which Kasumi could recall being the name of the company they met Takumi Inui in front of.

"What the-?!" Ranma blinked. "What happened to my other clothes?!"

"Oh my," Kasumi breathed. This was such a surprising turn of events. Still, she had to know something, "Ranma, was I seeing things or was Faiz actually you?"

"Looked like it," Ranma replied forgetting his new change of clothes. He thought about what he had seen, scratching his head. "I just don't get it though. How can Faiz be me? I mean, I'm me, aren't I?"

"Well," Kasumi pondered. "Maybe this whole thing isn't just about going to different worlds, but different dimensions. I mean, I've heard that in different dimensions, the world is the exact same but the situations are different. Like in our world you became Kamen Rider Decade, but in this one you become Kamen Rider Faiz. I suppose it is still a little shocking to see yourself fighting as one of those gray monsters…Orphenochs, right?"

"Yeah," Ranma sighed. His stomach then growled loudly, insisting to be fed. "Um…could we get something to eat first, before we do anything else?"

"Of course," Kasumi giggled.

* * *

At the other side of the shopping centre, Mari, Keitaro, and Faiz had managed to escape the pursuing police officers and got outside. When they were out, Faiz checked his surroundings to see if they were being watched. Satisfied that no one was, he pulled out his cell phone from his belt and punched the 'end' button. His entire suit flashed before returning to regular Ranma Saotome, with the red lines receding into the belt from where they came.

"Whoo! That was scary!" Keitaro sighed, letting the jitters leave his system. "It's a good thing that other guy helped us or else that Orphenoch might have gotten us."

"Yeah, but who was he?" asked Mari.

"Not too sure," Ranma frowned as he tried to recall what he saw of the red, black, and white fighter. However the fight with the Mushroom Orphenoch had been on his mind more than anything about the strange fighter. "Maybe if we're lucky then he'll be on our side. The help would be great."

"Yeah," Mari sighed. Sirens howled in the distance as more police cars appeared around the corner. "Now let's get out of here before the police decide to question us too!"

"Right!" both young men nodded as they and Mari made tracks.

* * *

"That hits the spot," Ranma grinned as he and Kasumi ate at a ramen stand they had found while searching for something to eat. Both of them were sitting on a nearby bench as they continued to have their lunch.

"It does," Kasumi nodded, slurping her own noodles with a giggle. "So Ranma, do you know what an Orphenoch is? All I know is that they're animal-like with gray skin."

"Um…" Ranma frowned as he tried to come up with an answer. He was drawing a blank before the information suddenly hit him. Before he could question how he knew it, he answered, "Orphenochs are actually humans who have an extra gene in their bodies. If they die as humans, the gene activates and brings them back to life and capable of turning into those monster forms. They also have the ability to turn other people into Orphenochs, but that doesn't always work. You can tell when someone has been attacked by an Orphenoch or is one because when they die, they turn into ash."

"Oh my!" Kasumi gasped. "How terrible!"

"Yeah. Not the friendliest folks you'll find if you run into one of the nasty ones," Ranma shrugged as he ate. "I don't know how I knew that, but I know somehow just the same."

"Maybe it's because of the same reason you have that uniform on now," answered Kasumi. "Your power as Decade allows you to fit into this world and know what the threat is."

"That would be pretty cool," Ranma admitted with a grin. "Of course, now we have to know what the problem is here. I heard one of those Orphenochs Faiz was fighting mention something about Smart Brain. I'll bet they have something to do with it." Ranma then finished the last of his noodles with a gulp. Still feeling peckish, he reached into his pockets for some spare change, hoping to have enough for another bowl of noodles. Feeling something, he pulled it out and found a student identification booklet. "That's weird. This isn't the one I have for Furinkan."

"Let me see," Kasumi spoke as she took the student I.D. into her hands. "It says here you're a student at Smart Brain Academy. Your name is Ranma Saotome and you're a student in class 2-C. Oh my, it says you're on the honor roll for physical education. That's so impressive!"

"Honor roll?" Ranma blinked. "What's that?"

"Well, it means you're one of the highest graded in a subject," Kasumi explained. "I'm surprised you don't have it back in Furinkan. You usually do very well in that subject don't you?"

"No one mentioned an honor roll to me," Ranma shrugged. "Okay, so we might just have a lead after all. Still, we'll have to learn a lot about Smart Brain and their connection to Orphenochs. Those two at the shopping centre seemed pretty determined to get Faiz to the place."

"If you want to know so much about Orphenochs and Smart Brain," the noodle vendor spoke up with a malicious smile appearing on his face. Suddenly strange gray markings appeared on his face. "_I would be happy to show you!_"

Suddenly the vendor shifted and changed into what looked like a horse-man in iron armor. A bandolier was wrapped around his chest with a zebra-head ornament on the front. The shoulders were rounded with pale striped covering them while the legs looked like horse legs suited for a biped. They were covered in stripes too. The head was horse-like, but looked like a helmet at the same time. More stripes covered it. This was another Orphenoch, the Zebra Orphenoch.

"_You're asking too many questions so I had better eliminate you now,_" the Zebra Orphenoch snorted, making a broadsword and a shield appear in a haze of blue fire. "_Or maybe you'll get lucky and become Orphenochs like me. You'll love it!_"

"Not more of you guys!" Ranma frowned as he stood up. Kasumi shrieked in fear and hid behind the bench the pair had been using. Ranma drew the Decadriver and wrapped it around his waist before he drew the Decade card and slid it into his belt with a cry of "Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!"**

The nine symbols appeared around Ranma before they turned into images that overlapped him. The armor then solidified before the panels were inserted into his helmet, turning sections of the armor red before the eyes flashed green, "I'm getting tired of fighting you guys."

"_The let me give you some eternal rest!_" the Zebra Orphenoch roared before it charged. "_Raaaaaaahhhh!!_"

The battle was on.

* * *

Ranma, Mari, and Keitaro were walking back to their place at Keitaro's dry cleaning store. Their latest adventure seemed to be done for the day and all three of them just wanted to get some rest. Ranma had been fighting several times in a single day and he needed the rest most of all. He had fought a Bat Orphenoch earlier when rumors of a monster hanging around in an underground parking garage turned out to be true. However, that had been a trap when three Orphenochs had followed him after the fight so to try and get the Faiz Gear from him or maybe get Ranma himself back to Smart Brain if they were lucky. It was fortunate that the strange guy in the red, black, and white armor appeared or Mari and Keitaro could have ended up as dust.

"Oh man," Ranma yawned. "Don't these guys ever quit?"

"Probably not," Mari sighed.

"I'm just glad it's over," Keitaro huffed. "I don't think I can take much more excitement for today."

"_Ahhhhhhhhhhh!_"

Ranma, Mari, and Keitaro looked up at an overpass they were walking under ad their eyes widened when they saw an Orphenoch falling from the sky. Ranma had already slipped into a battle stance while Mari was getting the case which held the Faiz Gear. However, when the Zebra Orphenoch crashed on the ground instead of landing in its feet like a regular attacker that Smart Brain would send, they began having their doubts.

After the Orphenoch hit the ground, the strange man in the colored armor from before followed, landing on his feet easily. He had his silver case unfolded into a sword and was tapping it on his shoulder as he walked towards the struggling Zebra Orphenoch.

"You have got to be one of the grunts if you can only fight this well," Decade sighed as he walked over to the Zebra Orphenoch. Grabbing it by its neck, he hoisted it up and pinned it against the support pillar of the overpass they had been fighting on top of. "Now, tell me! What's the connection between Smart Brain and the Orphenochs? What is Smart Brain Academy? Tell me!"

"_Urk! Go to hell!_" the Zebra Orphenoch grunted. Raising its dented shield, it slammed it into Decade's side, making the dimensional Kamen Rider grunt and stumble back. The Zebra Orphenoch then gripped its broadsword and attempted to cut the Rider's head off. Decade managed to dodge it before he rolled to the side. Settling in a kneeling position, Decade sighed as he drew a card and stood up.

"Well, I can't really let you go and you don't wanna talk," he sighed as he opened the Decadriver. "Not much else to do at this point." He tossed the card into the Decadriver and shut it.

"**Final Attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade!"**

Nine golden cards larger than a person appeared between Decade and the Zebra Orphenoch. Sliding his blade across his palm, Decade dashed through the projections, only appearing between a few of them. As he ran, a bar code seemed to be appearing around his sword, charging it up for a powerful strike. Passing through the last card, Decade unleashed a diagonal downward slash which cut through the Orphenoch easily. The blade had been glowing with a bright pixilated light as it hit its target. Decade then brought the blade back down again for a second strike, making another pathway through the monster. Spinning around after the second slash was completed, Decade spotted his counterpart and began walking towards him. As the first step was made, the Orphenoch cried out in pain before exploding in a haze of blue fire. Its body could be seen before it crumbled to dust, leaving no evidence of its existence.

"That was a waste," Decade sighed as he shook his head. "He made good noodles too."

The group of three friends just stared at the armored warrior who had just destroyed an Orphenoch with what seemed to be minimal effort. Then again, Ranma often told his pair of friends that it was harder than it looked since Orphenochs were at least physically superior to humans if nothing else. If he didn't have the Faiz Gear armor to protect him, the pigtailed martial artist would have been constantly in a state of pain with bruises and cuts from the various fights against other Orphenochs he had to deal with in the past.

Finally, Mari decided to voice out the most obvious question, "Um…who are you?"

"Well, I guess you can call me Kamen Rider Decade," the armored man shrugged before he reached to his belt and yanked it off. As the armor vanished in a pixelating haze, the trio's own eyes began to widen in shock and surprise. Standing in front of them was another Ranma Saotome! "But as I am, you can call me Ranma Saotome."

"No way!" Ranam-Faiz cried, stomping over to his counterpart. "I'm Ranma Saotome! You can't be me!"

"Trust me, I am," Ranma retorted.

"Ranma-kun!" a voice called out. Both Ranmas turned to see who was coming when they were met with the relieved face of Kasumi, who had only caught glimpses of the battle from above the overpass before it went completely under the bridge. Ranma had waved lazily, using his usual cocky way after winning a fight while Ranma-Faiz paled considerably and turned his gaze away from the eldest Tendo sister.

"I'm glad you're okay," Kasumi smiled as she reached her little brother. Her eyes then turned to the still gaping Mari and Keitaro who stood with Ranma-Faiz. "Oh! You found your Faiz counterpart too. How lucky!"

"Um…excuse me?" Keitaro asked weakly as he raised his hand. "But…could someone please explain what's going on? Why are there two Ranma-kuns?"

"Well, that's a long story," Ranma sighed, rubbing his temple. "Do you have someplace where we can talk?"

--TIME BREAK—

Ranma sat inside the dry cleaning store where his Faiz counterpart was eating with them. True to Ranma Saotome, both were eating a mile a minute. Mari, Keitaro, and Kasumi could only watch as two Ranmas went at each other with gusto, trying to steal each other's food. After fighting off several Orphenochs, both Ranmas were starving. Their chopsticks were clattering against each other as they fought. It may have looked heated, but for a Saotome, it was more of a friendly gesture than anything else.

"So…how did you get this way?" Ranma asked his counterpart. "I mean, no offence, but it isn't every day that someone transforms into a big snake Orphenoch of some kind."

"Well, that's a long story," Ranma-Faiz answered. "I guess its no secret that I'm an Orphenoch too. Not after that incident at the mall where we first met anyway."

"It was actually rather surprising" Kasumi nodded. After witnessing several dimensions of monsters attacking her home, seeing an Orochi Orphenoch wasn't too much of a shock once she got used to it. If there was one thing Kasumi could say about herself, it was that her ability to accept the odd or strange quickly was second to none. She just needed a little time and energy and she could take pretty much anything in stride.

"Well, I first changed when the failed wedding rolled around…"

--FLASHBACK--

_The wedding had started off alright at first but now…like the rest of Ranma's life it was utter chaos. Shampoo and Ukyo were throwing food bombs everywhere, Kuno was attacking him, Kodachi was attacking Akane, and plus it was free-for-all for the water from the Cursed Spring of Drowned Man with Genma, Ryouga and Mousse in it._

_Ranma was trying to keep things under control but with limited success. He had finally found his infinite patience at an end. His chance at a cure was gone thanks to his dad stealing the case for himself, fighting off the rivals for it, and then Happosai drinking the damn thing. Shampoo and Ukyo were fighting like maniacs trying to stop the wedding while the Kunos actually were maniacs. Guests were arriving and Nabiki was already demanding money from them even though it was for the bride and groom. He could already hear Soun bawling about the disaster and Genma was joining him, instantly blaming Ranma for it. His mother was watching with confusion and disappointment in her eyes. The fighting, the extortion, the yelling, the screaming, the blaming, and the idiocy was too much!_

_No more! Ranma's temper began to snap as his eyes suddenly glowed bright blue before he roared, "ENOUGH!" The ki he was releasing was intense but that was normal for him. What wasn't normal were the strong markings on his face right before his body…changed._

_It wasn't a change because of his curse, but something else…_

_Ranma could feel his entire body morph as grey organic armor covered him from head to toe. His teeth turned into fangs as he felt his neck getting longer. Also, he could feel something coiling around his arms and legs._

_The fighting ceased when they saw this and Akane screamed. Gone was Ranma and in his place…was the Orochi Orphenoch._

_He was serpentine in appearance with a snake's head in the centre of his chest and snakes coiled around his arms and legs. His feet looked like snake heads and hanging from behind his head like hair were even more snakes. The head itself looked like it was covered by a snake-like helmet with the fangs hanging down from the edges of the opening in the front. His neck was slightly longer with diamond patters not unlike those from a rattlesnake. His entire body was a mixture of grey and white with the armor being grey and the rare exposed portions underneath it being white._

_The fighting immediately came to a stop as everyone in attendance stared at the creature which Ranma had become. Everyone was actually silent for a change as well. Silent save for one…_

"_So, the demon reveals himself! I shall smite thee!" Kuno exclaimed loudly as he raised his sword. He then rushed at the transformed Ranma, which was a bad idea in itself when Ranma was human. As he was now and in his emotional state, it was an even dumber idea than ever. Kuno didn't stop his idiotic charge before he swung down his sword…_

_CLANG!_

_The blade, however, was caught between Ranma's now claw-like fingers as he turned his head to look at Kuno. "Kuno…you've been a pain in my ass for a long time. I'm tired of your stupidity and delusions! WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE YOU SHUT UP?!" The snakes hanging from behind his head suddenly reacted to his anger. They struck forward and then wrapped around Kuno's wrists and throat before one of them shoved itself into Kuno's mouth and down his throat. Everyone watched horrified because as soon as Ranma removed the snake, Kuno's body trembled before crumbling into dust. Ranma jerked away from the collapsing body, almost as frightened as everyone else in the room, if not more so._

"_What the hell?!" Ranma gasped as he backed away. What the heck had happened? He didn't order the snakes to do that. His horror only grew when the full implications of what happened. "Oh my god…"_

_No one was sure who screamed first. It was assumed that it was one of the girls, but it might have been one of the fathers knowing how whiney they were. Ranma looked around, still numb to the fact that his body had changed. The rivals were staring while the fiancées could only gape. Kodachi seemed to be on the brink of complete insanity…well, deeper insanity, at the sight of her brother's remains._

_Ranma felt himself beginning to panic. He had killed again! First Saffron and now Kuno! Unlike the phoenix king, Kuno wasn't going to get back up again._

"_No…no, no, no…NOOOOOOOOO!" Ranma bellowed, the snakes around his limbs hissing in empathic despair. Dashing to the side, Ranma crashed through the room. It didn't seem he had even noticed that he had crashed through the solid wall. The collected guests could only stare in fear and surprise at what had happened._

--END FLASHBACK--

"I eventually changed back but I needed to stay away from people in case it happened again. That's how I ended up traveling through Tokyo. I wanted to find some kind of answer to what the hell happened to me," Ranma-Faiz explained. "My original plan was to find someplace quiet and private so I could take some time to calm myself down and learn a little bit more about my abilities so I didn't accidentally kill someone again." Ranma-Faiz's voice was hollow as he recounted the tale. Even after the time he had to recover, the death of Kuno was still heavy on his conscience. The guy may have been a delusional, arrogant asshole but no one deserved to die like he had.

"I take it something came up," Ranma pondered.

"You'd be right," Ranma-Faiz nodded. "At a bus terminal, my bag got mixed up with Mari's. Seeing that she had mine I had to follow her. I've gotta tell you she can move when she wants to."

"Hey," Mari huffed. "I thought a stalker was following me. I had to get away."

"Whatever," Ranma-Faiz chuckled. His words may have seemed non-chalant, but the tone in the words revealed softness which Ranma had only used rarely in his personal experiences. Mari must have been someone special to make his Faiz counterpart use such a soft tone. "Anyway, I ran into her after some kind of fish Orphenoch managed to track her down. She had something that they wanted badly."

"That Faiz system you used to fight those other guys," Ranma answered.

"Yup," Ranma-Faiz nodded as he slurped his noodles. "Mari went through her bag for it but found my stuff instead. That's when I showed up to fight the Orphenoch. It kicked my ass as a human so I had to use my own Orphenoch form."

"Yeah, you scared me half to death," Mari added from her seat. "I mean, the cute guy who saved me turned into a hulking snake-man!"

"I said I was sorry," Ranma-Faiz chuckled. "Anyway, after she tried to use the Faiz Gear and failed, I got my butt kicked since I was still unused to how my Orphenoch body worked. I got hit so hard I shifted back to human."

"I saw how he tried to save me instead of trying to kill me so I tried to help him," Mari added. "I mean, sure he was scary but he didn't seem to be all bad."

"Oh my, I guess Ranma is the same no matter where we go," Kasumi smiled softly. The Ranma she knew could be scary when he wanted to be, but he was always a very nice person when you got to know him. Mari likewise smiled in silent agreement and continued on with her story.

"Anyway, I figured if it didn't work for me it might work with Ranma," Mari spoke. "So I strapped it around his waist and activated it. To my surprise, it actually worked. He became Faiz."

"Dusted that asshole too," Ranma-Faiz nodded. "I thought the Phi symbol in the air was a pretty nice touch too."

"Yeah! Like a superhero!" Keitaro grinned. "I met Ranma-kun and Mari when I was delivering some laundry for my family business. I was surprised to find that Ranma-kun could turn into a superhero and fight monsters!"

"Yeah, so much that you tried to steal the Faiz Gear and use it yourself," Ranma-Faiz chuckled, making Keitaro pout. "It rejected him. Now we know it is because the gears only accept people with Orphenoch blood in them."

"Interesting," Ranma nodded. "So, who are these Smart Brain people? One of those Orphenochs mentioned they were going to drag you there kicking and screaming if they had to. From what we know, Smart Brain is some kind of high tech company, but we haven't figured out what the connection to Orphenochs is so far."

"They are the bad guys," Ranma-Faiz sighed, his face turning dark. "As for a connection? Here it is; almost everyone in the company if not all are probably Orphenochs. They believe that they are the next step in evolution and want to wipe out humanity so they can take their 'rightful' place as the rulers of the world." Judging from the dark tone in Ranma-Faiz' voice, there was definitely no love lost between himself and the company.

"Oh my! That's horrible!" Kasumi gasped.

"They want Ranma badly too," Mari sighed. "Not just because he has the Faiz Gear, but also because they believe that he is the Orphenoch King."

"The what?" asked Ranma.

"Some executive that tried to sweet-talk me explained that," Ranma-Faiz growled. "Apparently the Orphenoch evolution is flawed. The more you use it, the closer you bring yourself to death. The Rider Gears just speed it up. The Orphenoch King is not only immune to that, but he can also spread that immunity to other Orphenochs."

"So they want you to make them invincible," Ranma frowned. "But, how did they find out?"

"One of their grunts decided to try and force me to join their cause," Ranma-Faiz answered. "Since Mari was trying to use the Faiz Gear as a bargaining chip to find her father, I had to change to my Orochi form. Apparently most Orphenochs can tell who their King is when he appears. The grunt stopped trying to kill me and instead began trying to knock me out so he could drag me in. He wasn't quite successful."

"Oh man," Ranma flinched. "But, since you're the King can't you tell them not to kill all humans?"

"Sorry, but these guys aren't like that," Ranma-Faiz grumbled. "They want to lock me in a cage and extract what makes me immune before spreading it around to every one of their agents."

"So you want to stop these guys," Ranma nodded. "Otherwise they're going to eventually take over the Earth and kill all humans."

"Bingo," Ranma-Faiz sighed, bringing a round of silence from everyone at the table. After a moment of said silence, the native Ranma of Faiz World began to speak up again. "Anyway, say we believe you about these Rider Worlds and how you're from a world similar to mine, but drastically different. What are you doing in this world now?"

"Well," Ranma sighed. "I'm not completely sure about that. From what I was told, I have to travel to the nine Rider Worlds and save them from something, but I'm not really sure what. I mean, you seem like you can handle Smart Brain and the Orphenochs in general. Maybe something is coming that you can't handle on your own or something like that. All I know is that I was sent here first to do something. What that is, I have no idea."

"Don't you have any clues?" asked Mari with a frown.

"Well, Ranma…I mean MY Ranma's uniform appeared after he changed back from his Decade outfit after he first transformed on this world," Kasumi explained, gesturing to the gray school uniform that Ranma was currently sporting. "As far as we can tell, Ranma is enrolled in a place called Smart Brain Academy. We're only guessing, but maybe whatever it is that Ranma needs to do in this world, it is going to be connected to this school. We were considering trying to find it before that Orphenoch attacked us and we ran into you three again."

"Smart Brain Academy…" Mari pondered. "I don't think I've ever heard of it before."

"Me neither," Keitaro shrugged. "Maybe it's one of those upper class schools that only snobby rich kids can afford to attend."

"It's possible," Ranma-Faiz nodded. "However, I think I might know who to ask about that sort of thing."

"Who?" asked Ranma.

"A pal of mine named Yuji," Ranma-Faiz answered.

--TIME BREAK—

Yuji Kiba was a man who lost everything. His parents had been killed in a car accident that left him in a coma for two years. Upon waking up, he discovered that his whole world had fallen apart. His girlfriend had left him for another man while his uncle had effectively disowned him and sold the company that his father had worked so hard to build. His old girlfriend didn't want anything to do with him and when her boyfriend came to confront him…Yuji discovered his new power as the Horse Orphenoch. Between discovering his powers and all his rage, Yuji went on a rampage, killing several people who wronged him. He deeply regretted it now, but that didn't change the fact that he had been the one to end their lives.

At the moment, Yuji was in the park, feeding a few pigeons as he waited for a friend. When one looked at the young man, they would have seen a seemingly ordinary person with brown hair that reached to about his chin who wore a simple button up shirt and brown slacks. No one would be able to guess that within him was the might of an Orphenoch which had already killed several humans and a few other Orphenochs as well.

"Yuji! Glad you could make it!" a voice called out to him.

"Ranma. I…" Yuji began with a smile as he turned, but then froze. Walking towards the bench he had been sitting on was indeed Ranma Saotome, but walking alongside him was yet another Ranma Saotome. Both looked identical save for the clothes that they were wearing. One was wearing his regular Chinese clothes while the other was donned in a gray school uniform with a red tie. "Wha…How…?"

"It's a long story," Ranma-Faiz sighed as he and his counterpart reached the gaping young man. "Still, he's me in every way as far as I've seen. So, Yuji, meet the other me. Other me, meet my friend Yuji Kiba."

"Yo," Ranma waved warmly. Still, Yuji was more than a little stunned to find that his friend had somehow doubled overnight. "So you're the one who my Faiz self said could tell us a thing or two about stuff Smart Brain is doing?"

"Um…y-yes," Yuji nodded, getting over his shock. Really, he had seen much stranger things but seeing such odd happenings still stunned him from time to time. "After I became an Orphenoch, Smart Brain tried to recruit me. Me and some friends live in the same apartment they gave us and sometimes we hear things from other Smart Brain employees that live in the same building."

"Yuji and I first met when we were hunting the same Orphenoch that was killing at a university," Ranma-Faiz explained. "I was after it because of the students while Yuji discovered that it was the reason a friend of his couldn't play music like he dreamed anymore. It turns out the Orphenoch was one of the teachers who worked there. The vain bastard had been killing or injuring students who were better at music than he was. His reasons were that no human deserved to be more talented than an Orphenoch. Yuji and I both kind of lost it and went after the guy."

"Yeah…but we showed him in the end," Yuji chuckled weakly.

"Sure did," Ranma-Faiz nodded. Unlike the death of Kuno, Ranma-Faiz held no regret about killing the crooked teacher. "Anyway, we might have stumbled onto another one of Smart Brain's plans when my other self got here."

"The place is called Smart Brain Academy," Ranma continued. "We think it might be connected to the reason why I'm here. With the name like it has, it has to be connected to Smart Brain. Either that or it's just one huge coincidence."

"Hmm," Yuji pondered as he tried to recall anything like what his friend was talking about. "Well, I don't immediately recognize the name, I think it's been mentioned now and again by someone in our building. I don't doubt that Smart Brain is behind it either with a name like the one it has. Still, I really couldn't tell you anything about it though. If Smart Brain is involved then Orphenochs are going to be part of the problem. Maybe we can do an electronic search to find more about the school."

"You don't have to do that. You just have to ask the right person!" a chipper and feminine voice called out, catching the three young men by surprise.

The three young men turned to see the owner of the female voice who had talked to them. What they saw was a shapely woman lying on her side on a park bench, resting her chin in her hand. She was wearing a black, silver, and blue uniform which appeared to be made out of plastic of some kind. She had blue streaks in her hair which was tied in a bun and her lips were colored blue from the lipstick she wore. Butterflies fluttered around her as she watched the trio.

"Smart Lady," Ranma-Faiz sighed.

"Who?" asked Ranma.

"She's the mascot for Smart Brain," Yuji explained. "She usually handles finding new Orphenochs and helping them get used to their powers. She was the one who led me and a friend to the apartment that we live in now when we first transformed. She's not to be trusted though since she works on all levels of Smart Brain and probably knows more than a few of their secrets."

"How mean!" Smart Lady pouted as she jumped to her feet. She skipped over to the trio and leaned closer to Ranma-Faiz. "King-sama, why aren't you punishing Orphenochs like these who speak out against us and don't help their people?"

"Because I think they're right," Ranma-Faiz frowned. "How many times do I have to say it? I think Smart Brain is wrong for their plans on genocide!"

"Just checking!" Smart Lady grinned as she twirled on the spot and backed away. Giggling, she eyed Ranma-Faiz with something other than the playful look which she usually had in her eyes. Ranma easily recognized it as a lustful look from which the fiancée brigade would usually shoot at him at various times. "You know, I know a thing or two about Smart Brain Academy. I can tell you all you need to know about it…for a price."

"What price?" asked Ranma-Faiz with a slight frown.

Smart Lady leaned in close to Ranma-Faiz again so that her lips were close to his ear, "A date. I want a date with you. Give me that, and I'll even tell you what you need to know right now."

Ranma-Faiz shuddered from the seductive whisper which Smart Lady spoke to him. This wasn't the first time she had wanted such things from him. Smart Lady was often a hopeful paramour for the young Orphenoch King. Unlike other Orphenochs, she could tell what he was the moment she laid eyes on him. With the Orphenoch King on one side and her people on the other, she had become something of a neutral party in the conflict. She would continue to do her job of recruiting new Orphenochs and such, but she would be a source of information for Ranma if he asked and paid the price she would ask for. However, she wasn't inclined to lie to her superiors if she was asked about the King's own movements either, which made asking her for help something of a risk.

Ranma-Faiz suspected that the reason she wanted things like dates and kisses for her information was that she was either hoping to seduce the King over to Smart Brain's side, which wasn't as far-fetched as it appeared, or to get in good with the King so she would be spared should he win. Of course, she may just be hoping to get some kind of promotion from the King himself by 'serving' him in whatever way he desired. Despite all this, Ranma-Faiz had to admit that she was light years ahead of the fiancée brigade that he left behind in Nerima after his first transformation.

"Fine," Ranma-Faiz sighed. "You'll get your date. BUT! The information had better be helpful or I won't be taking you anywhere!"

"OK!" Smart Lady smiled brightly with a giggle. She then turned serious as she went into her 'lecture' mode. "Smart Brain Academy was founded by the Smart Brain Corporation for the education for the next generation and to help said generation reach their full potential. It is located in greater Tokyo at Sonozaki St. On the surface, it was a place for Smart Brain employees, exceptional individuals, and upper class families to send their children for high quality education. However…"

"The Orphenochs of Smart Brain have a secret plan," Ranma frowned.

"Right!" Smart Lady nodded with a sing-song tone. "The Orphenochs plan to find the most influential, intelligent, and physically superior students and attempt to sire them. If they survive, they will grow up loyal to smart Brain and help spread its influence further!"

"WHAT?!" Ranma, Ranma-Faiz, and Yuji all cried out as one. Ranma-Faiz snapped out of his shock first, looking Smart Lady in the eye, "Do you know which people at the school are Orphenochs?"

"Nope!" Smart Lady replied. "I may get lots of access, but I only know what my superiors say to each other. That is all I know."

"Well, at least we know where to look now," Ranma shrugged. "That's more than I was hoping for."

"Excellent!" Smart Lady smiled brightly. "King-sama, remember our date tonight! I gave a lot of information so I hope our date will be really nice!"

"Fine, fine," Ranma-Faiz nodded. This wouldn't be the first time he had gone out with Smart Lady so he knew some of what to expect from her. Still, she had a way of surprising people when she really wanted to. Seeing Smart Lady's smiling face, he suddenly got a wicked idea. Lunging forward, he swept Smart Lady off her feet with a surprised 'OH!' before leaning her back. Before she could ask what he was doing, Ranma-Faiz planted a soft, but passionate kiss on her lips. Smart Lady's eyes widened for a moment, but she then gave a soft sigh and closed them before wrapping her arms around Ranma-Faiz' neck and returned the kiss.

Yuji politely turned his gaze away while the kiss occurred, being used to what Ranma-Faiz had to do to get any information out of Smart Lady. The woman in question had often asked him to set up a meeting with the Orphenoch King in the past. Ranma just watched the exchange with wide eyes and a red face. He never knew his Faiz counterpart could be...be…be so bold! Ranma would never have tried that with any girl he knew. Well, mainly because he never felt the urge to really kiss any of the girls in his life unless he was under the effect of some magical item or other means of force. Seeing himself willingly kiss a girl, much less a grown woman like Smart Lady was a surprise. He couldn't help but think how manly his mother would see this action right now.

Eventually, both participants had to breathe and Ranma-Faiz ended the kiss as he hoisted Smart Lady to her feet. She kept her arms wrapped around him for a moment as she opened her eyes. "Oh King-sama…"

"A little down payment," Ranma-Faiz grinned. Smart Lady turned red on the cheeks before she slowly unwrapped her arms from around Ranma-Faiz' neck. "I'll see you tonight and I'll do my best to make the date worth it. OK?"

"OK!" Smart Lady beamed before she turned on her heels and walked away from the trio. It didn't escape their notice that she was swaying her hips as she went, no doubt trying to keep the King's attention on her as she left. Ranma-Faiz chuckled before he turned back to his counterpart and friend. Ranma was still gaping at him in pure shock while Yuji was snickering slightly at something. "What?"

"You have blue on your lips," Yuji pointed out, making Ranma-Faiz gulp before he furiously tried to rub the residual lipstick off of his face.

"So…are you two…," Ranma began.

"Not officially," Ranma-Faiz shrugged. "She gives information and I give her dates or kisses in return. It was her who told me who the Orphenoch was that was killing students at the university, but I had to give her a kiss in return. I've gotta be honest, I was as nervous as hell when she asked for a date the first time. Well, you probably know why considering our shared history with women."

"No kidding," Ranma sighed.

"Yeah. Personally I'm kind of hoping I can get her to join up on our side so we don't have to worry about her spilling the beans if her bosses ask," Ranma-Faiz shrugged. "Besides, I've got to admit that she's pretty damn cute. If half the stuff we've done is what people in real relationships do, I can see why guys back home are so eager to get girlfriends. At least Smart Lady is more stable than the fiancée brigade."

"Oh, you mean those mysterious girls from your hometown that you never mention?" asked Yuji. "If Smart Lady is better than them, I never want to meet them."

"Be happy you haven't," both Ranmas sighed.

--TIME BREAK—

"So these Orphenochs at the school are going to try and turn all the kids into Orphenochs too?!" Mari gasped. The two Ranmas had returned to the dry cleaning store after their meeting with Yuji and Smart Lady. They imparted their story to the remainder of their group, which was extremely shocking to them all.

"Oh my!" Kasumi gasped.

"That's terrible!" Keitaro gaped. "And this was happening right under our noses? We've got to do something!"

"And we will," Ranma-Faiz nodded. "Ranma here volunteered to go explore the school tonight. If there are Orphenochs hiding out there, he'll find out who they are so we can do something about them. As long as those Orphenochs are there, those kids will be at risk."

"But what will you be doing?" Mari asked Ranma-Faiz. "You're sending your counterpart in alone. Why aren't you going in?"

"Well…," Ranma-Faiz sheepishly spoke. "You see…Yuji really didn't know anything…and then Smart Lady showed up…and she told us what we needed to know…but…"

"You promised her a date AGAIN?!" Mari cried. "Ranma! You know she works for Smart Brain! We can't trust her!"

"Who?" asked Kasumi.

"This lady who's Smart Brain's mascot," Keitaro explained. "She's really interested in Ranma-kun and keeps getting dates and stuff from him since she gives us information about some of the things Smart Brain is doing. Mari doesn't like her since she won't say anything about her adoptive father even though she probably knows something about it."

"You know that tramp is probably only doing this so she can seduce you into joining them!" Mari added. "And even if she's not, she's only interested because you're the Orphenoch King, I'm sure of it!"

"I kind of considered that already…," Ranma-Faiz replied, recoiling slightly from Mari's glare. "What does it hurt? It's not like she's going to tell her bosses unless they actually ask her."

"But they probably have and even if they didn't we can't be sure that she hasn't gone and told them anyway!" Mari barked. "There will probably be an army of Orphenochs waiting for Ranma at the school now! Or maybe waiting to jump you when you're on your date with that…woman!"

"They haven't jumped me before," Ranma-Faiz pointed out.

"That's not the point!" Mari snapped.

"Mari, I gave my word and I am going to follow through," Ranma-Faiz sighed. "This is too important not to deal with. Ranma will go to the school to check things out and I'll go on a date with Smart Lady as part of our agreement. If I don't go, she might decide to blab to the higher ups at Smart Brain. At least if I do go, there's only a chance of her talking instead of a guarantee if I stand her up."

"But…you…she…AGH!" Mari cried out. She knew Ranma was right, even if she didn't want to admit it. Deciding to go stew for a while, she stomped out of the small kitchen and headed for her room.

"Gonna pay for that one later," Ranma-Faiz sighed. He looked to Ranma. "You sure you don't mind going in alone?"

"Nah, it'll be easier with one person. Don't have to watch anyone's backs." Ranma shrugged. "You just make sure that Smart Lady doesn't end up telling on us. I'll see what I can dig up."

"Okay. Good luck then." Ranma-Faiz nodded.

--TIME BREAK—

Ranma eyed the school which was Smart Brain Academy. He wasn't wearing the uniform anymore, but some of his regular clothes…well, borrowed from his counterpart anyway. It was easier to sneak into the place wearing his regular outfit rather than the uniform he had been given. It still felt weird borrowing clothes from himself though.

The building itself certainly looked like a school except maybe one built by one of the best architects in the country if not the world. It looked ultra modern and the campus was huge. It had an ornamental fountain and even a bike path which went through trees and a park-like place. Smart Brain had really gone the extra mile to make sure that the building reflected the status of the students who went there to get their education. Probably so to attract more people with the money or influence Smart Brain could use to extend its reach.

Walking past the entrance, Ranma saw that there was no security guard or other kind of people who kept undesirables out of the school during the off hours. Odd, but not downright strange. The guard probably had to go to the bathroom or something. The timing was just perfect for the pigtailed martial artist since he could get into the school unobstructed now. Sticking his hands in his pockets, Ranma continued walking on to the front doors.

"This is going to be easy," he grinned to himself.

"_Oh? You think so?_" a warped voice asked.

Ranma instantly twisted around and saw an Orphenoch walking out from behind one of the stone decorations which were littered across the campus. It was dressed in gray armor, but had a cage around its head with spikes on it. Its body was covered in spikes with its hands likewise covered in the cages. This was a Cactus Orphenoch and it had come to apparently challenge the young man.

"_We don't appreciate intruders at our school,_" the Cactus Orphenoch snickered. "_Maybe if you're lucky I'll be able to turn you into an Orphenoch like me._"

"I wouldn't count on it," Ranma frowned, drawing the Decadriver and attaching it to his waist. With the belt strapped on, he drew his Decade card from his Ride Booker while opening the buckle. He then threw it in with a cry of, "Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!"**

The nine symbols appeared before turning into figures which enveloped Ranma and formed into his armor. The red panels then appeared attached to his face, changing the color of the armor and bringing it to full activation. Shifting the Ride Booker to its sword configuration, Decade charged at the Cactus Orphenoch. The enemy in question swiped at him with wide strikes, easily dodged by the dimensional Kamen Rider. As he rolled past, Decade struck with a slash to the torso, making the Orphenoch stumble slightly.

"_Just die!_" the Orphenoch roared, swinging its arm, making several of its spikes fly in the direction Decade. The spikes hit, making Decade stumble backwards from the force of the blows. Landing on his back, Decade looked up and saw the Orphenoch approaching. Grunting, he got to his feet and drew another card from his Ride Booker, "Looks like I'll need some backup." Opening his Decadriver, he tossed the card inside before shutting it again.

"**Attack Ride: Illusion!"**

Decade charged at the Orphenoch again with his weapon raised. However, as he got closer, Decade suddenly split into three Riders, all identical to each other. The Cactus Orphenoch froze in shock at what he was seeing. The three Decades took advantage of the surprise by circling the Orphenoch and slashing at it from all sides. Sparks flew from the armor as the Orphenoch cried out in pain. The three Decades then took up positions behind the Orphenoch and unleashed a kick which sent it flying from the force.

"_Gah!_" the Cactus Orphenoch cried as it landed on the ground. Struggling with the pain, it glared up at Decade. "_H-how? You're just…a human!_"

"Human? Orphenoch? It doesn't matter," the three Decades shrugged before combining into one again. "What does is what we fight for and how hard we're willing to work for it. I trained my whole life to be the best. You just assumed you were great because of what you are. Look how wrong you were."

"_Bastard! Who are you?!_" demanded the Cactus Orphenoch.

"I'm just a Kamen Rider who's passing through," Decade shrugged as he drew a gold card. Opening the Decadriver, he looked at the Orphenoch. "Remember that!"

"**Final Attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade!"**

Nine gold cards appeared between Decade and the Cactus Oprhenoch as the card activated. Leaping into the air, Decade watched the cards follow him. As gravity took hold, Decade moved to a kicking position as h began moving through the cards. Phasing through them, he finally emerged through the final card before his foot collided with the Cactus Orphenoch. The enemy gave a roar of pain as he was sent flying backwards from the force of the blow. Landing one the pavement several feet away, the Cactus Orphenoch gave one last grunt before its body exploded in a haze of blue flame with a resounding explosion. Its body then crumbled to dust soon after, leaving only a pile of ashes.

As Decade hefted his Ride Booker Sword over his shoulder, he suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise up. Recognizing a danger from what his senses always told him, he looked around for what it may be coming from. He was proven right when a silver veil rose up from in front of the school gates. It thickened so nothing could be seen behind it before it vanished. However, it had brought something over…or more specifically, someone.

It was a man donned in a black bodysuit which had white armor over it. The chest plate was gray with a red sun-like symbol on the front. In his hand was a black weapon which looked like a sword with gold designs on the hand guard. The shoulders were rounded and had gold lining on them. The face was white with a narrow silver mouth guard, but the eyes were covered with a gold cross which had a black slit in it to act s a visor. As Decade watched the figure, the cross then split into four and opened to reveal large red eyes.

"Decade," the armored figure spoke. "It is time to return your life to God."

"Wha-?!" Decade blinked. However, that was all he managed to say before the figure charged at him and slashed wide, forcing Decade to block the attack with a rain of sparks being the result. Grunting slightly from the exertion, he looked the Kamen Rider in the eye. "Nn! Who…who are you? Why are you attacking me?"

"I am IXA," the white Kamen Rider answered. "You are a threat to all worlds and must be eliminated for the good of those worlds."

"What?!" Decade gasped. Needing space, he kicked IXA away before backpedaling so to get himself some breathing room. "That's ridiculous! I don't want to destroy worlds!"

"Don't deny it. You will," IXA sighed before he charged with his sword again.

As the battle between the two Kamen Riders began, a man in a tan trench coat, a hat, and glasses stepped out from the corner of the school. He watched the fight with anticipation in his eyes, "Decade. Your journey will end here…at the hands of IXA!"

To Be Continued…

Next time! On Journey Through the Decade!

Decade: Back off! I don't want to destroy any of the worlds!

Narutaki: You are meant to destroy, not save! IXA!

IXA: And I am meant to destroy you.

Faiz: Looks like we forced them to jump the gun

Yuji: Ranma! Look out!

Smart Lady: King-sama!!!


	3. Faiz World Pt2

**I do not own Kamen Rider Decade or Ranma ½. Those belong to their respective creators and not me!**

**Journey through the Decade**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**Chapter 3: Faiz World: Part 2**

Ranma fiddled with his sleeve as he waited at the pre-selected place. Smart Lady had called him and let him know where to meet for their date. It turned out to be in front of a park which Smart Brain had sponsored in their plans for public approval. It was partially filled with modern stone sculptures which Smart Brain had commissioned famous stone sculptors to make. Apparently a lot of couples went through the park for the romantic atmosphere.

Ranma was wearing some of his nicer Chinese outfits. It was black with a dragon embroidered along his sleeve and across his back. His pants were black as well, held up by a belt rather than the usual drawstrings. It was an ensemble that he hardly wore since most of his days involved fighting and most of his dates included the same. At least during the times he could recall going out with Smart Lady, things were peaceful.

"King-sama!" a bright and cheery voice called out.

Turning Ranma eyed Smart Lady Walking towards him. However, she wasn't in her usual outfit which made her a little harder to identify. She was wearing a black Chinese dress which had blue butterflies embroidered on it. Her legs were quite visible much to many young men's delight. However, she was wearing stockings which made her legs look sexier in Ranma's opinion. She wore black high heels and had a blue feather boa around her arms which reached behind her back. She had let her hair out of its bun, which allowed it to reach to full length just past her shoulder blades. She kept it tied in a braid, which allowed the blue in her hair to still be visible. She still kept the blue lipstick on, which made her seem a little more…exotic.

"Hi," Ranma waved as he walked over to Smart Lady. "Glad you could make it."

"I'd never miss a date with you King-sama," Smart Lady giggled. Walking up to her date, she wrapped an arm around his before leaning in close, sighing in the contact. "So where are we going tonight?"

"Well," Ranma shrugged. "I figured a nice romantic stroll would be in order just to get the blood moving. Then we head to this really nice place that I found. It's western, but is perfect for romantic meals together from what I read about it."

"Sounds nice," Smart Lady smiled. Her king put so much effort into their dates, especially when she told him something he really needed to know.

Ranma nodded, enjoying the contact with a female who wasn't going to try and force him to marry her. Smart Lady just seemed to want to be next to him and enjoy what time they had together. Oh sure, she might be trying to seduce him into joining the likes of Smart Brain, but Ranma had a lot of experience with women who tried to seduce him. At the same time, Ranma was hoping that he could charm Smart Lady into joining their side, even though he didn't have much of a clue how to really charm any kind of woman so he just went with the flow. Thankfully Ranma's wallet wasn't as empty as it was back at the Tendo dojo after he started going to underground fighting matches so to make some cash. With his winnings he could afford to do a lot of things.

Smart Lady smiled with anticipation at the date she was beginning with her King. At the moment she was the only woman who had gotten this close to the Orphenoch King and she was going to enjoy it. At first she was attempting to recruit him to Smart Brain, but then she really started enjoying the little dates they had in return for some little information she gave him. Then she became more interested when her curiosity got the better of her and she asked for a kiss. If she had to say it, Smart Lady would definitely admit that she was fond of the Orphenoch King as he was of her. Sure some people might say he was young for a woman like her, but he wouldn't be young forever. Smart Lady also had no illusions as to some of the tactics her employers might use to try and bring the Orphenoch King over to their side. Strong-arm tactics weren't working and the only people they could hold hostage were his housemates that were almost always with him. Pleading with him had likewise failed since he knew Smart Brain's plans for genocide. Still…there was still sex appeal.

Smart Brain may have been a majority of men, but they did employ women as well, Smart Lady herself being a prime example. There were numerous female Orphenochs in the company and many of them were devilishly attractive. A few of them had used their good looks to isolate humans and then attempt to sire them. Those women were sex on legs when they wanted to be and it was only a matter of time before Smart Brain decided to employ them to catch the King's loyalty. Even though Smart Lady would have enjoyed being with the King all the time, she wasn't sure she felt so great about another woman being the one to bring him in.

* * *

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Decade leaped behind one of the sculptures littering the campus of the Smart Brain Academy, avoiding the bullets which IXA was shooting at him.

Decade had come to investigate the school while his Faiz counterpart was to go on a date with Smart Lady so to pay her back for the information. She had told then that the school was a plan for the Orphenochs of Smart Brain to convert the next generation of influential people and become more powerful. Decade's investigation was to see if that was true or not. The suspicion became a raging positive when he was confronted by the Cactus Orphenoch for trespassing on the campus. After dispatching the Orphenoch, one of the silver veils that Decade recognized from his home world appeared. This time, rather than taking him somewhere, it brought someone to him. A Kamen Rider named IXA who wished to destroy him. IXA was apparently under the impression that Decade was going to destroy all worlds and was going to destroy Decade before that happened.

"WOULD YOU STOP THAT!?!" Decade bellowed from his hiding place. "I don't want to destroy worlds! I'm here to save them!"

"Lies," IXA frowned. "The prophet told me the truth. It is because of him that I am here to put an end to you."

"Prophet?" Decade blinked.

Decade didn't get much more time to think about what he had heard when IXA dove around the sculpture and began shooting at him again. Dodging as more bullets made holes in the sculpture, Decade switched his Ride Booker into Sword Mode and opened fire. IXA was hit by a few rounds, bringing sparks from the impacts before he began running to avoid the shots while returning several volleys of his own. The campus had become the scene of a gunfight as the two Kamen Riders continued with their battle. They used what they could find to avoid being struck by each others' rounds while trying to hit the opponent with their own. However, both Riders had one major difference to them; IXA was aiming to destroy Decade while Decade was trying to take IXA down without killing him. Monsters were one thing, but humans -fellow Riders- were something else entirely. Someone had told IXA that Decade was a threat which needed to be destroyed, but the question was who?

From his observation point at the corner of the school, a man who we shall call Narutaki was watching the battle with intensity, "Decade. Your journey should not have even begun. Still, here I will end it."

Rolling around more shots, Decade switched his Ride Booker to its sword formation and charged at IXA. The Fangire Hunter shot more rounds, but Decade deflected them all with swipes of his sword. Getting close enough, Decade slashed at IXA with his blade, forcing the white Rider to block with his IxaCalibur. Grunting under the force, IXA pushed the magazine of his weapon up to make a red blade extend. Pushing back, IXA slashed at Decade, making sparks fly off of his armor and forcing him to step back.

"It ends here," IXA said darkly as he drew whistle-like object with gold wings decorated on it. Slipping it into his belt, he pushed the Knuckle Duster-like object into the belt, making it activate.

"**IxaCalibur: Rise Up!"**

Energy began to surge through IXA's armor, pooling into his weapon and making the blade glow brightly.

"Crap!" Decade hissed, recognizing it as a hissatsu. Pulling a card from his Ride Booker, he opened the Decadriver and threw the card in before shutting it.

"**Attack Ride: Slash!"**

Red pixels concentrated around Decade's sword as his own attack charged up. It wasn't as powerful as his Final Attack Ride, but it was capable of destroying enemies on its own. Maybe if he was lucky he would be able to block IXA's upcoming attack. Both Riders stared each other down before a gust of wind signaled their movements. IXA and Decade charged at each other with battle cries. The energy in their blades was glowing in the night as the eyes on their helmets flashed from the charging energy. The attack was going to be grand as the pair drew closer to each other with blades ready to strike. They were both about to strike when…

A silver veil suddenly dropped between the pair, their sword striking against with a flash of light, but nothing more. IXA looked to both sides of the veil, hoping to find another way around, but the veil extended as far as the eye could see both ways. Decade likewise looked to see where the veil might end, but found no holes on his side.

"It seems my destiny lies elsewhere," IXA sighed as he backed away. The veil became thicker as his body turned dark with only his eyes glowing brightly. "Be warned Decade, I will not be the only one after you!"

Leaping at the veil, IXA vanished. The veil then faded away, leaving only the night air and Smart Brain Academy. Looking around, Decade saw that even all the bullet holes and casings that he and IXA had left behind had vanished when the veil appeared.

"I guess," Decade sighed. "When someone who doesn't belong in this world leaves, they take the damage they made with them."

Hearing sirens in the distance, Decade instantly made a break for the exit. He didn't need the police trying to get him on top of the Orphenochs trying to kill him.

* * *

"Mmmmm," Smart Lady smiled as she enjoyed the chocolate desert which she and Ranma were currently enjoying. "King-sama you spoil me."

"Well, I do kind of owe you one," Ranma chuckled as he enjoyed his confection. "I had the money so I figured why not?"

"Hm!" Smart Lady smiled.

The date had been going well. Ranma and Smart Lady strolled through the park, enjoying each other's company and talking about what was going on with them lately. The purposely avoided mentioning their activities for or against Smart Brain. It was an unspoken rule they had after their first date. Smart Lady wouldn't try to recruit Ranma and Ranma wouldn't try to get Smart Lady to abandon Smart Brain. After a pleasant stroll, Ranma guided her to the restaurant which he had heard about. It was actually a French-cuisine place which made Smart Lady squeal with excitement. She had never been to such a place before on account of her duties at Smart Brain. The pair enjoyed their meal in comfortable silence with the odd conversation. Of course Smart Lady had to flirt just a little by running her bare foot up and down Ranma's leg. It made the martial artist blush, but he had been slowly getting used to her affections. Now they had just finished desert.

"Well now," Ranma sighed as they finished desert. "Shall we head out?"

"Ok!" Smart Lady smiled.

Paying the bill, Ranma and Smart Lady walked out arm in arm. Checking the time, both realized that it was starting to get late and both of them had things to do. Regretfully, Smart Lady retrieved her metallic blue cell phone and called up a taxi. Only after a short time of waiting, one had appeared and was ready to receive any passengers.

"I had a wonderful time King-sama," Smart Lady sighed. "Let's go out again sometime."

"Glad to," Ranma grinned. "Maybe next time we can do it because we want to and not because it was for information."

"I'd…like that," Smart Lady smiled.

With a twinkle in her eye, Smart Lady captured Ranma's lips with her own in a passionate kiss. It stunned the pigtailed young man, but he quickly returned it, much to Smart Lady's delight. The pair was in lip-lock for a moment before they came up for air. Winking at Ranma, Smart Lady entered the taxi and drove off. She waved to him from the backseat before blowing him a kiss. Ranma just snickered and made motions of catching it. He knew she probably would use it for convincing him to join Smart Brain later while he did the same for getting her on his side…but what a woman.

"You have blue on your lips sir," the doorman to the restaurant commented from his post, pretending not to have seen that kiss.

"D'oh!"

* * *

Making his way back to the dry cleaning store, Ranma-Faiz stepped inside. Looking to where he and the others would meet, he found Keitaro, Kasumi, and his counterpart there along with Mari who looked as surly as ever after one of his outings with Smart Lady.

"How was the date?" Ranma asked with a grin.

"It was good," Ranma-Faiz nodded. "What about the school?"

"Definitely Orphenochs crawling there," Ranma answered. "I think the security guard attacked me since he was gone and the Orphenoch was there. If Smart Brain doesn't have agents in the school already, they're moving them in."

"So what do we do now?" asked Keitaro.

"Well, we need to get inside the school, but security is going to be tough in the daytime," Mari frowned.

"But Ranma's a registered student there," Kasumi pointed out. "Maybe he can go in and find out more."

"But he'll be in there alone," Keitaro pointed out. "We can't let the other Ranma-kun go in without backup!"

"What's worse, they'll think he's me and try to either attack him or force him to be the Orphenoch King," Ranma-Faiz added. "No way I'm sending my counterpart in alone."

"Hey, I always work best with a handicap!" Ranma complained.

"You don't want to be dealing with this alone," Mari frowned. "We don't know how many Orphenochs could be hiding in the school at this point. Everyone in the staff could be one!"

"That's a good point," Kasumi agreed.

"So what do we do then?" asked Ranma-Faiz.

--TIME BREAK—

"I had to freaking ask," Ranko (Faiz) grumbled as she and Ranma strode towards Smart Brain Academy in their uniforms. The female version of the Smart Brain uniform was gray with a red tie, but the skirt was red and with high black socks which still felt too short for the fiery redhead.

"Quit complaining," Ranma sighed as he and his 'cousin' made their way onto campus, flashing student ID's at the security guard as they passed the gate. "You wanted to give me backup and here you are."

It had been surprisingly simple. Ranma was already a confirmed student at Smart Brain Academy and all he had to do was call up the Dean of Admissions to ask if his 'cousin' would be allowed to attend the Academy as well. Ranma had been expecting the usual entrance exams and bureaucratic paperwork, but when he mentioned his name, the Dean became excited and had everything 'Ranko' would need to become a student at the Academy sent by express, making her a student by the next morning. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the Dean must be in with the Orphenochs if he knew some kind of significance behind the name Ranma Saotome beyond the hijinks found in Nerima. Still, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up since none of them had the expertise in hacking the school computers which Smart Brain most likely gave the highest security.

"I didn't want to be here as a GIRL!" Ranko hissed as she restrained from decking her counterpart.

"I know," Ranma sighed, rolling his eyes towards the sky. "I have the curse too, but I was a student first and we can't have two guys named Ranma Saotome who look alike running around or the Orphenochs might get suspicious."

Actually, Ranma-Faiz had been very vocal about the pair being twins or identical cousins when they went to the school, but if there were two Ranma Saotome's running around, then Orphenochs would start asking questions since Smart Brain probably knew he was an only child. They would begin trying to bring both Ranmas over, but with only one as a human, it would begin a fight to sire him and that would lead to blowing their cover, something that the Orphenochs don't want. If their cover was blown, then things would be out of control and impossible to predict.

"I still hate you," Ranko growled.

"Yeah, yeah," Ranma sighed. He would have said the same thing if the positions were reversed.

* * *

"Mmnnnnn!" a young woman stretched as she walked into an empty classroom. She was of average height and had black hair done up in a ponytail, but with purple highlights in it. She wore the Academy uniform, but with some…alterations. The jacket was left open while the tie was hanging off her shoulders. The white shirt was actually hanging wide open, revealing her purple bra underneath while her skirt was scandalously shorter than the usual students. Her lips were painted pink with purple eyeliner accenting her features. Her nails were similarly colored. She wasn't wearing the socks and she had a light layer of sweat on her skin. "Hey girls."

"About time," another female sighed. This one was dressed properly in her uniform and had short hair which framed her face, but this one had red highlights near the tips. She also wore a pair of eyeglasses which were oval. The frames of the glasses were red along with her nails. She looked like the typical bookworm, but there was something in her eyes that hinted otherwise. "I don't see why you have to take so long."

"Hey, I like to enjoy my work," the purple-colored girl frowned. "Don't be a prude. I know you enjoy it too!"

"She's got a point," snickered a third girl. This one had dark hair done up in two buns on her head with green streaks. She was wearing the standard Smart Brain Academy uniform. She was leaning back on a chair with her legs thrown up on a desk while she painted her nails a vibrant green. "You're all business now, but once you get going you're just as wild as both of us."

"Be that as it may," the red-colored girl coughed with a blush. She turned to her purple friend. "Did you do it? Did it work?"

"I did it, yeah," the purple girl sighed as she sat on a desk. "However…" she raised her shoes and revealed the bottoms to be covered with gray ashes.

"Not again," the green-colored girl sighed. "I was so sure he'd turn."

"He was really good too!" the purple-colored girl pouted. "I was really hoping it would work! Then we could do it more!"

"Ugh. Sensei is going to be pissed," the red-colored girl sighed. "On to other business though. Word on the grapevine is that our mysterious transfer student is finally coming and he's bringing another new student with him. Sensei confirmed it too. One is a boy and the other is a girl."

"A girl huh?" wondered he green-colored girl. "I haven't tried one of them for a while. Is she good-looking?"

"Not sure," the red girl shrugged. "The boy apparently had some connections to his name and got her in. Not too surprising considering who goes to school here, but we should keep an eye on him when he gets here."

"Do we even know what he or this girl looks like?" asked the purple girl.

"Yes, actually," the red girl smiled. "The boy has black hair tied in a pigtail while the girl sports the same style, but her hair is red."

"Kind of vague," the purple girl muttered.

"A natural redhead?" asked the green girl. "I like the sound of her."

"They'll stand out like sore thumbs," the red girl reassured her comrades. "Even if we don't spot them, Sensei will tell us who they are when their records are allowed to be viewed by the faculty."

"Oh good," the green girl smiled. "If they pan out, can I take the girl? She sounds delicious."

"Fine, fine," the red girl sighed. Looking to her purple friend, she frowned. "You clean up first though. I don't want to have to smell everywhere you went all day."

"You like it and you know it," the purple girl laughed as she got up and headed for the door. "Ciao."

Stepping out of the room, the purple girl shut the door, leaving her two friends behind. Sighing, the red girl reached behind a desk and produced her book bag. Opening it, she pulled out several textbooks and began reading, "Now onto more important things."

"Why do you always read here?" asked the green girl. "Don't you read at home?"

"Since I'm always working with the club after school, I don't get much of a chance," the red girl frowned. "You of all people should know that."

"Oh, right," the green girl laughed as she rubbed the back of her head.

* * *

After being given schedules and directions to their classrooms, Ranma and Ranko found the room for class 2-C. Both had thankfully been landed in the same class so it would make sharing information among other things a little easier for the pair. When the bell had rung, signaling the beginning of the school day, the teacher had both of the Saotomoes stand at the front of the room so to make introductions. It was something that both martial artists had experience in since they both had been through different schools several times in the course of their training journey.

"My name's Ranma Saotome," Ranma began. "Things I like are martial arts and good cooking. I hope we can get along." There was a distinct lack of enthusiasm in his voice with the introduction born from doing such introductions several times in the course of his life.

"I'm Ranko Saotome," the fiery redhead continued with the same lack of enthusiasm. "Like my cousin I like good food and martial arts. What I DON'T like is being hit on by guys. Remember that."

There was a collective groan from the boys in the classroom, reminding Ranma and his counterpart of the pervs back in Furinkan who seemed downright desperate for a date with anything attractive and female. They hear a hot girl is single and they come running, but hear she's taken and they act like it's the end of the world for some dumb reason. However, neither Ranma nor Ranko really noticed that several girls in the room got a gleam in their eyes. They did get shivers down their spines though, and that alone was setting of warning bells in their heads.

--TIME BREAK—

Ranma munched away at his lunch, hoping to get some peace and privacy. So far the roof was the only place he could get any of that. His day hadn't been so bad so far. A few girls kept asking him about himself and the odd flirting was present, not that this Ranma really noticed. He was asleep when the teacher started going into the lesson anyway. Of course, Ranko had a different opinion about her day.

"…and not five minutes after I say I don't like it when guys hit on me, five guys send me notes asking for dates!" Ranko raged as she attacked her bento with gusto. "Didn't these guys listen or were they too busy staring at my chest? RGH!"

"Well, unlike Furinkan, these guys don't know about the curse," Ranma commented. "At least they weren't complete pervs, right?"

"Well, they were pretty clean about that," Ranko sighed. "They don't listen too well though."

"Not a lot of guys…or girls, do," Ranma sighed, recalling all the idiots back in his world who never seemed to hear what other people were saying unless it was something they wanted to hear. It was something that he and his Faiz counterpart had in common.

"Amen," Ranko frowned. "So, any leads on the Orphenochs here yet?"

"Not so much," Ranma shrugged, eating again. "There are a few rumors though. They say that every month, a few students go missing. Considering how high profile their parents are or their jobs, it's not too farfetched to consider that the family had to move or that the parents figured their kids would be safer somewhere else. Of course, none of the students who vanished seemed to tell any of their friends about the sudden movement."

"Hmmm. Sounds like a lead," Ranko shrugged. "All I got was a bunch of girls making gossip about some other group of girls on campus. I got squat."

"So what do we do now?" asked Ranma.

"Well, first we're going to switch," Ranko replied, making Ranma's eye twitch. "Then we're going to start exploring the campus a little. Maybe we'll find more clues that way."

"Great," Ranma groused.

After finishing their lunches, the duo ducked into one of the washrooms which were planted in the school. Of course, Ranma went in first to ensure that it was clear before Ranko entered. From their, a quick swap of clothes and splashes of hot or cold water was applied and the pair came back out. This time Ranma (Faiz) was the male while Ranko (Decade) was the female. Ranma was looking much more comfortable while Ranko was struggling with the skirt.

"I forgot how much I hate these," Ranko grumbled, trying to make the skirt go lower on her legs. "Why did we agree to do it this way?"

"Because I can't stand being female for the whole day," Ranma sighed, shaking the last bits of water from his hair. "So quit complaining and let's go."

"Right, right," Ranko sighed.

Both Saotomes exited the main building and began to explore the campus. They needed to find some clue as to what the Orphenochs were doing and they needed to find it now. Splitting up, both Ranma and Ranko went in different directions so to cover more ground.

* * *

Ranma scratched his head as he wandered around. The campus was way bigger than he expected. It had bike paths and more than a few sports fields. Walking along the path, Ranma spied a gathering of students lounging at a picnic table. All of them were male and looked like they were waiting for something. Long since learning that any small detail could lead to a bigger prize, he went to where the students were seemingly admiring something from a distance.

"Hey," Ranma called, walking up to the group. "What's going on?"

"SHHHHH!!" all the boys hissed at him. One of them then frowned at Ranma. "Do you want to give us away? Keep your voice down!"

"Huh?" Ranma blinked. Were these guys peeking at something? "What are you looking at?"

"The Rainbow Sisters!" one of the boys grinned before he pointed ahead.

Looking over the shoulders of the boys, Ranma saw that they were looking at the school pool where students were allowed to take dips and such when they didn't have class. In the area around the pool were three female students who definitely weren't lacking in the figure or looks department. One was a girl with long hair tied in a ponytail who was wearing one of the skimpiest purple bikinis that Ranma had ever seen and she was sunning herself on the side of the pool. The second had short hair with red streaks and glasses and was wearing a red one-piece as she let her feet dip into the pool. The last one had her hair done up in Chinese buns with green streaks and was wearing a regular green bikini and was lounging on the chairs surrounding the pool while reading a magazine.

"Oh," Ranma sighed as he rolled his eyes. More pervs. Some lead. "So…who are they?"

"We call them the Rainbow Sisters even though they aren't sisters," one of the boys grinned. "Midori-sempai (the one in green) Kurenai-sempai (the one in red) and Murasaki-sempai (the bombshell in purple) are some of the hottest girls on campus!"

"Our idols!" the boys cheered with grins on their faces.

"Uh-huh," Ranma sighed. Shrugging, he turned away. "Okay, just curious." Walking away and leaving the boys to their perverted adoration, Ranma had to truly wonder if all high school boys were slaves to their hormones.

* * *

"The Rainbow Sisters?" Ranko blinked with some confusion.

"Our Onee-samas!" one of the girls who were walking with Ranko squealed.

Ranko had been investigating anything that seemed suspicious about the school, but hadn't been able to bring up even a single piece of evidence which suggested the involvement of Orphenochs. As she was trying to find a lead though, she was suddenly scooped up by a few girls who figured she looked a little lost and volunteered to be her guide around the school. With her search coming up with nothing, Ranko decided to go through with the tour. As the girls chatted with her, they mentioned a group called the Rainbow Sisters.

"The Rainbow Sisters are definitely the most popular girls in the school," Ranko's head guide smiled. "They're all presidents of various clubs and have really made those clubs popular too. They always hang out together and they're all so beautiful!"

"Ahhh," the other two guides sighed dreamily.

Ranko just scratched her head in confusion. That would account for boys wanting everything to do with these Rainbow Sisters if they were as pretty as these girls were saying. Still, from what he knew in Furinkan, girls who were popular among boys were usually regular with the other girls or downright despised. If she was hearing things right, then these girls really looked up to these Rainbow Sisters and didn't seem to mind at all about the popularity they seemed to have with the boys of the school.

"Not only are they gorgeous, but they're so caring for the rest of the students!" a second girl sighed. "They give all of us tips on how to be better students, more attractive, and even on how to snag boys better too!"

"They help us out so much," a third girl sighed. "I wish I could join them."

"So how many of them are there?" asked Ranko, feeling that she might be onto something.

"There's supposed to be seven, but we've only seen six," Ranko's head guide explained. "There's one for every color of the rainbow. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. Lots of the girls here are hoping to be the last color. The selection process is supposed to be very exclusive!"

"Hmmm," Ranko pondered. This sounded like it might pan out.

--TIME BREAK—

Kurenai yawned as she adjusted her glasses while reading her textbook. The final bell had rung and most of the student body was leaving the Academy for the day and making sure they had nothing to do with school for the rest of the day if they could help it. Not her though. Kurenai may have been as wild as her associates could be at times, she still was a student first and needed to finish her education. Since she was so busy at one club or another after school, she had to get her reading done during the day whenever she could. The clubs took up so much of her time so she couldn't get any scholastic work done after school and she was usually too riled up to concentrate afterwards. At the moment, she was heading back to the school since the day was over and her spare period was at the end of the day. She remembered all those boys checking her and her two associates out when they were lounging at the pool to relax. There were more than a few to choose from for future appointments. She would have to think about it before she selected though.

Passing by the side of the school, Kurenai froze as she heard something rustling in the bushes. Turning to see what it was, she blinked in confusion when she saw a male student stumble out from the greenery. His clothes were messed up like he had gotten in a tussle and leaves, twigs, and a bit of dirt was sticking out of his hair. His belt was untied and his eyes looked a little glazed over. In all, he looked like he had just gotten up from an all-night party.

"Hmmm. You're Kazuma Kaitoh from Class 3-A," Kurenai frowned as she recalled a name to the face of the young man. "One of Midori's fans too. You had an appointment with her yesterday. Don't tell me she left you out here when she was finished. I'll have to talk to her about that. Sheer luck no one found you during the day."

"Unnnnnn," the boy known as Kazuma Kaitoh groaned as he reached out for Kurenai like a drunken zombie. As he did, gray images began to appear on his face. To Kurenai's surprise, the boy then began to…change. In a haze of dim light and organic shifting sounds, Kazuma transformed.

He stood taller than a regular man with a gray skin tone. His torso was covered in gray armor which looked like it was made from cast iron bolted together. The neck had shark triangles which were similar to shark teeth rising from the base. He arms were covered in what looked like fish bones with shark jaws covering the hands. Flaps extended from the waist while the legs were covered in bolted iron with what looked like shark fins coming from the calves. The head was concealed in what appeared to be a metal shark skull with a fin coming out from the back of his neck. All that was seen of his face were his milky white eyes.

Kazuma Kaitoh had become the Shark Orphenoch.

"Oh! Oh my!" Kurenai gasped with a delighted smile. "Kaitoh-kun! You did it! This is wonderful! Oh, we'll have to get you exclusive membership into our club! The girls will be so happy to hear about this!"

Kurenai's gushing was suddenly cut off when the Shark Orphenoch began to growl. Clenching its hands, blue flames erupted from them before forming into a pair of giant butcher knives. The Shark Orphenoch's snarling grew louder as it stared at the frozen Kurenai. Trembling, the Shark Orphenoch bellowed before charging at the surprised red sister of the Rainbow Sisters. Crying in shock, she dived to the side as the Shark Orphenoch slashed at her.

"It must have overwhelmed him," Kurenai frowned as she saw the Shark Orphenoch turn to face her again. "Damn." She stood up and was about to take action when she and the Orphenoch were suddenly interrupted.

"OI!"

* * *

Ranma (Faiz) normally would have headed home like a shot after the school day ended. However, this wasn't one of those days. With most of the student body gone save for the ones who were part of clubs, it gave the pigtailed martial artist some leeway in searching the grounds for more clues about the Orphenochs and whatever scheme they were trying to pull. Most of the day had been a bust for him, having only learned who the idols of the school were. Nothing else even remotely connected to the Orphenochs had appeared.

Until now…

As he was walking along the bike paths, Ranma spotted something happening a fair distance in front of him. It looked like one of those Rainbow Sisters, the red one, and some student who looked like he had the stuffing beat out of him or something. It was probably done by fanboys for getting too close to their idol or something. However, that idea swiftly changed when the boy suddenly transformed into an Orphenoch and took a swipe at the girl.

"OI!" Ranma shouted dashing towards the scene, causing the Shark Orphenoch to stop and look at him while the girl blinked at his sudden appearance. "You know, if there's one thing I can't stand it's a guy who picks on girls who aren't able to fight back."

"Rrrrr!" the Shark Orphenoch growled, raised its knives.

Ranma shrugged and removed the Faiz Gear and snapped it around his waist. He then pulled out the cell phone which was the keystone to the equipment and snapped it open, "I'm afraid I'll have to kick your ass now. No hard feelings?"

**5-5-5-ENTER**

"**Standing By."**

"Henshin!"

"**Complete."**

Placing the phone in the belt and locking it in place, the Faiz Gear activated, sending the red photon streams across Ranma's body. His body flashed bright red before dimming again. When the light was gone, Kamen Rider Faiz was standing in Ranma's place, ready for a fight. Flicking his wrist, he began walking towards the Shark Orphenoch with a calmness that most wouldn't have in the face of a monster. The Shark Orphenoch on the other hand, was less than calm. Roaring loudly, it charged at the Kamen Rider with both knives raised, ready to carve him up.

Kurenai watched the two opponents fight each other while gaping in astonishment. Like every other who shared the same employers she did, she had heard about the enigmatic Ranma Saotome who had gotten his hands on the Faiz Gear and fought against Orphenochs left and right. How ironic that the Faiz Gear, made to protect the Orphenoch King, was being used by the King himself. Kurenai had wondered if the new student was the same Ranma Saotome they heard about, but in a place as populated as Japan where dozens of people could have the same first or last name without being related, someone with the exact name was hardly unlikely. Of course, seeing this Ranma Saotome use the Faiz Gear proved his identity.

'_King-sama,_' Kurenai thought longingly. '_Oh if we could get you on our side, we would make sure you never regretted it…_'

"Hah!" Faiz cried, kicking the Shark Orphenoch in the chest and knocking it back. The beast snarled in anger and charged again. This time, Faiz twisted around it and kicked it in the back, causing it to stumble from the blow. "You must be just sired. You're fighting like an animal."

"RAAAAAHHHH!" the Shark Orphenoch bellowed in rage, raising its knives into the air. It charged again and Faiz was ready, however, the Shark Orphenoch didn't even try to attack the Kamen Rider. Instead, it charged right past him and towards the red Rainbow Sister. Its knives were raised and it looked ready to carve her up at the moment it would be in range. Faiz was a little stunned a being ignored, but he recovered quickly.

"Autovajin!" he barked loudly in retaliation.

The roar of a motorcycle echoed through the air before a silver and red metallic motorcycle raced onto the scene without any driver. As it got closer, it suddenly transformed with the seat turning into a pair of legs and one wheel folding onto the machine's new back while the other unfolded with an arm and attached to the torso. A head appeared with the handlebars sticking out of the shoulders. This was the humanoid robot called the Autovajin. Hovering through the air with the wheel on its back, the Autovajin charged towards the scene. It immediately slammed into the Shark Orphenoch, pushing it backwards and away from the red-themed girl. When they were far enough away, the robot threw the Shark Orphenoch away, letting it hit the ground.

"Thanks buddy," Faiz nodded as he walked over to the machine. Grabbing one of the handlebars, he pulled it out to reveal a long crystal pole which was red. It was a weapon called the Faiz Edge which was just as effective as his other hissatsu weapons. "Now to finish this guy off."

"Guh," the Shark Orphenoch grunted as it got back to its feet. "Graaaaah!"

Charging at Faiz again the Shark Orphenoch aimed to take his head in one swipe. Faiz kept his eye on the charging Orphenoch as he gripped the handle of his weapon. When the Shark Orphenoch was only a few feet away, Faiz began his own charge at the rampaging monster. As he was running, Faiz reached to his belt and removed the Mission Memory from his belt and inserted it into the handle of the Faiz Edge, making the crystal rod glow dimly.

"**Ready."**

Meanwhile, the Shark Orphenoch continued its charge, drawing closer before swinging its right hand knife, trying to hit Faiz' neck for an instant kill. The blow was certainly powerful enough to get the job done, but the speed was questionable. Faiz managed to duck underneath the blow, the wind from the knife brushing past his shoulder, before slashing upwards with the Faiz Edge and letting the crystal rod impact against the Orphenoch body. While the Fai edge was meant to be used as a sword, it wasn't capable of cutting like one. Instead, the rod would impact against something and release a burst of energy, harming the victim much like a sword would on a cellular level rather than leave a gaping wound. Either way, it still hurt which the Shark Orphenoch could attest to if the roars it gave off from the impact were anything to go by. With the Faiz Edge dragging across its target's flesh, Faiz reached down and opened his cell phone before pushing a single button and closing it again.

"**Exceed Charge."**

A stream of red energy traveled through the Faiz suit before going down his sword arm and into the Faiz Edge. The added power caused the crystal rod of the weapon to shine brightly and become much more powerful. The Shark Orphenoch's roars increased in volume as the energy ripped through the cells in its body. With another step, Faiz finished his strike, dragging the sword away from the Shark Orphenoch's body. The Shark Orphenoch itself stumbled a few more steps before exploding in blue fire with a red Phi symbol hanging in the air. As the symbol faded, the Shark Orphenoch's body crumbled to dust, becoming a pile on the ground which the wind soon carried away.

Kurenai had watched the whole exchange with astonishment. The King was so majestic in his battles! Not one movement went to waste and not one attack failed to connect! It had all been over in a matter of minutes with the King as the victor. While she was a little disappointed that the new Orphenoch had been destroyed, she had discovered something much better. She had found the King! The Orphenoch King was at Smart Brain Academy!

"Hey, you okay?" asked Faiz, snapping Kurenai out of her thoughts.

"Y-yes I am," said Kurenai who was flushed a little. Lunging forward, she wrapped her arms around Faiz, to the Rider's shock. "Oh thank you for saving me! I was so scared! That thing really wanted to kill me!"

"Um…no problem," Faiz shrugged as he weakly attempted to comfort the apparently distraught young woman.

After a few moments of enjoying the embrace Kurenai backed away, looking up to Faiz' helmeted face, "I…I don't know how to thank you for rescuing me. If there's anything I can do for you…"

"Hey, that's okay," Faiz chuckled. "I don't need anything. Just be more careful about hanging around here alone. There might be more of those things." Walking over to the Autovajin, he replaced the Faiz Edge where he had gotten it and pressed the insignia on the machine's chest. The robot swiftly reacted by transforming into a motorcycle again. Mounting it, Faiz looked over at Kurenai who still seemed a little flushed, "Take care."

"I will," Kurenai waved cutely.

Revving the engine, Faiz roared away down the paths. Kurenai watched him go with a smile on her face and a not-so-innocent look in her eyes. Smiling, she recovered her books from the ground and began heading towards the school again. She just couldn't wait to tell the others. Of course, Sensei would be just as glad to hear that the Orphenoch King was within their reach. All they had to do was simply claim him.

* * *

**Keitaro's Dry Cleaning Store**

"Tadaima," Ranma-Faiz called as he came through the door.

"Weclome home Faiz-kun," Kasumi smiled, poking her head out from inside the store. She had taken to calling the Ranma native to this world by his Rider name when they were in private. Of course, seeing Kasumi always made Ranma-Faiz remember his world's Kasumi who looked horrified at his appearance last they met. "Did you have a nice day?"

"It was a day," Ranma-Faiz shrugged. "What happened to the other me and the others?"

"Oh, Ranma-kun came home a bit earlier than you," Kasumi replied. "Keitaro-kun is making a delivery and Mari-san is out getting groceries. Ranma-kun is busy in the bath. He didn't want to be in his girl form much longer after school was over."

"I can relate," Ranma-Faiz chuckled. "Still, I found a lead at the school, I think I might know how the Orphenochs are planning on making their move now."

"Oh good," Kasumi smiled. "You can tell Ranma-kun when he gets out of the bath."

* * *

**Smart Brain Academy**

Kurenai walked to the infirmary and opened the door. As she expected she could smell the scents of medicine, sterilization…and sweat. Ignoring it, Kurenai walked in and closed the door behind her. The Infirmary room itself was equipped with the best medical products a school could need for any occasion which might pop up for a student. There were ten beds all lined up on opposite sides of the room and all were equipped with curtains which could be pulled out in case a student needed privacy for sleeping. However, right now one of those curtains were pulled out for privacy as the shadows of two figures were seen pressing together lewdly with muffled voices, one male and one female echoing from it.

"Hnn," Kurenai rolled her eyes and continued past the pair to where the school doctor's desk was, and where her friends would meet up.

Midori and Murasaki were already there, but dressed completely different. Midori was donned in a green teddy which left little, if anything, to the imagination. Her hair was undone, letting it fall down her back. Murasaki was in her purple underwear and nothing else as she was applying makeup to her face. In the doctor's chair was a senior student who wore an orange housecoat, but didn't bother letting it cover everything as he legs and cleavage were revealed. Her hair was done up in a braid with orange being seen littering her dark locks. Standing next to a mirror was another senior who was wearing the school swimsuit, but one that was much too small for her, revealing everything about her figure anyone would want to see. Her hair was left cascading down her back with dark blue streaks just barely being visible outside of bright lights. Finally, a student in a cheerleader outfit was busy adjusting her clothes. Her hair was short with a small ponytail done up on the side. Her hair was dark, but yellow streaks were visible much like her friends' were.

"Murasaki, Midori, Kiiro, Orenji, Aoi," Kurenai greeted as she met her friends.

"About time you got here," the orange-clad girl known as Orenji smiled. "We thought you were going to ditch your clients tonight."

"As if," Kurenai huffed. "I do have some big news though."

"Really?" asked Aoi, turning to her red sister and revealing a rather emotionless, but beautiful face. "Do tell."

"First of all, Kazuma Kaitoh, remember him?" asked Kurenai, building up to her news.

"Sure do," Midori grinned. "He was so shy. Still, he tried his best so I decided to reward him."

"Well, leaving him outside where anyone could find him aside, you actually managed to turn him," Kurenai anwered.

"I did?" Midori gasped, all eyes in the room turning to her. The green-clad girl began to squeal. "Oh my gosh! I did? Where is he? We have to bring him in! We're going to give him the wildest night ever now that he's an exclusive member to the club!"

"No need, he's dead," Kurenai sighed, making all five girls gape in confusion at her. "He didn't die because of the power if that's what you're thinking. The power overwhelmed him and he went a little berserk. Before I could try to calm him down though, one Ranma Saotome saw the whole thing and came to help."

"Ranma Saotome?" asked the yellow-clad girl named Kiiro. "Isn't he…"

"The Orphenoch King?" Kurenai began to grin like the schoolgirl she was. "The same. I thought it might be a coincidence with the transfer student, but he used the Faiz Gear just like we were told he possesses. He killed Kaitoh so easily. I saw the whole thing," Slumping into a nearby chair, she sighed dreamily. "He moved so majestically. He really is an incredible fighter. I so want to see what his true form looks like if his disguise is so handsome and rugged."

"Hmmm, me too," Murasaki smiled, already imagining the King and herself together.

"Ironic how the Faiz Gear made to protect the King is being used by the King to fight off his own kind," Aoi commented, checking to see if her chest was comfortable before heading to sit with her friends.

"So what do we do now that we know he's here?" asked Midori.

"Simple, he's already an exclusive member of the club, isn't he?" asked Kurenai, getting nods from her friends. "Well, we'll just have to welcome him in then. I'm sure he can't say no to girls like us. We are the schools idols after all."

* * *

**Keitaro's Store**

"No way,"

Ranma and Ranma-Faiz were comparing notes at the table back at Keitaro's family store. Ranma-Faiz had already recounted his tale of fighting the Shark Orphenoch to his Decade counterpart and some of his suspicions as to why it was attacking that Kurenai girl.

"I had to deal with guys bugging me for dates or girls being way to friendly and you go and find an Orphenoch?" Ranma grumbled. "Some guys have all the luck."

"I know," Ranma-Faiz chuckled. "Still, I figure that the Orphenochs might be aiming for these Rainbow Sisters that everyone in the school is so infatuated with. I mean, think about it. Who are the girls in the school that all the boys would jump over each other to date if they even had a fraction of a chance?"

"The Rainbow Sisters," Ranma answered, recalling how many people boys and girls alike talked about the six girls.

"And who are the ones that all the female students look up to in terms of looks, personality, and all that other stuff?" continued Ranma-Faiz.

"The Rainbow Sisters," Ranma repeated.

"Now, who would have the most access to the student body for siring if they were Orphenochs?" asked Ranma-Faiz grimly.

"The Rainbow Sisters!" Ranma gasped.

"Right," Ranma-Faiz nodded. "If those girls do become Orphenochs, then they'd be able to get pretty much anyone they wanted now wouldn't they? I mean, I got the rundown by a number of their fanboys as they bragged about them for a while."

"So did I," Ranma nodded, recalling the explanations some of the fangirls gave him earlier. "Kurenai is the vice-president of the student council, Aoi is captain of the swimming team, Midori is president of the flower arranging club. Kiiro is captain of the cheerleading team, Murasaki is president of the fashion club, and Orenji is president of the cooking club. That alone gives them a good chunk of students to turn if they become Orphenochs. More than enough for a small army if they want."

"Not counting if anyone in the faculty is an Orphenoch already," Ranma-Faiz commented.

"Don't remind me," Ranma sighed.

* * *

**Smart Brain Academy**

"So, Kurenai," asked Orenji "When is the school talent show supposed to be coming up anyway?"

The secret club which the Rainbow Sisters ran was in full swing now as their 'clients' came calling. Most of the girls were occupied with them in the privacy of single beds with squeals, moans, grunts, and gasps being a fairly obvious clue as to what they were doing. Still, what better way to snag the attention of teenagers and get them away from the herd than to use their hormones? It made their task so much easier in the long run. Of course, the perks of the club certainly were icing on the cake as well.

Orenji was taking a break since she had no clients at the moment. Her housecoat was open revealing a dark orange bodice which was easily see-through and made what she had underneath very visible. Kurenai had even joined in and was clad only in her skirt with a red bra on. She was gasping a little since she had just finished with her last client and needed a moment to breathe.

"Ummm…three more days," Kurenai answered, apparently having trouble getting thought together at the moment.

"Oh good," Orenji smiled. "Sensei said that Project E will be ready to be deployed by then too. Looks like we'll be ready to go for our final plan right on schedule. Now, what about the King?"

"I don't think he'd be happy to hear it," Kurenai answered, adjusting her skewed glasses. "We should concentrate on at least getting him to like us. Be friendly, be nice, maybe give him our undivided club attentions. That's sure to endear him to us."

"I like the sound of that," Orenji smiled as she licked her lips. The door to the infirmary slipped open, revealing a female student who was blushing red. Orenji's smile turned bright in an instant. "Welcome! Don't be shy come on in!" Walking up to the student, she pulled her in. "Welcome to the Rainbow Sisters Secret Club. Is there anyone in specific you'd like?"

"Umm," the student mumbled shyly. "Kurenai…nee…sama?"

"Right here," Kurenai smiled with a wave. "Come over and let's play. I'm all yours."

--TIME BREAK--

Ranma (Faiz) and Ranko (Decade) entered Smart Brain Academy for their second day, this time with a much better lead on what they needed to do in order to catch the Orphenochs off guard. The Rainbow Sisters were obviously key to the whole thing. If the Orpehnochs turned them, they would be able to get practically the whole school. That being said, both Saotomes now had to figure out just how they were going to get the Rainbow Sisters to let them hang out with them so to keep an eye out for Orphenochs who would want to turn them. Being with practically no social upbringing, neither Ranma nor Ranko really knew how to get in good with the proverbial 'In Crowd'. It was going to be tough…

"Ranma!"

Ranma blinked and turned to see Kurenai waving happily at him. The red Rainbow Sisters jogged up to the male pigtailed martial artist and grabbed his arm, "I was hoping to find you! Come on, my friends really want to meet you. I told them all about how you heroically rescued me from that monster yesterday."

Before Ranma could even say 'huh' Kurenai had dragged him off like a woman on a mission. Numerous boys began to sob and moan in despair at seeing one of the most idolized girls in thee school dragging off the new transfer student. Several of them were sending glares at Ranma's back as if glaring at him would suddenly make him back away from Kurenai so that one of them could take his place with her. Girls were whispering excitedly, thinking that one of the Rainbow Sisters had found a boyfriend. Others were gushing abut how romantic being saved from a thug would be if what Kurenai said was true. Ranko could recognize the signs of envy coming from the girls as they eyed Ranma appreciatively.

"Well…that was easy," was all the redhead could really say before she headed off for the school.

* * *

"Hey! Wait! Hold on a sec! Woah!

Ranma just couldn't seem to get Kurenai to calm down as she pulled him into a side entrance for the school. While he could have simply planted his feet and stopped, being much stronger than a regular schoolgirl, Ranma just didn't have the heart to do so at the moment since Kurenai obviously seemed pretty excited about showing him off to the rest of the Rainbow Sisters. Seeing no harm in it and it being the lead he needed in getting close to the girls so to scope out potential Orphenoch attacks, Ranma permitted her to drag him along. He just hoped this didn't turn out to be another mess with a fiancée. He had left all those behind in Nerima.

Finding himself at the school infirmary, Kurenai dragged Ranma through the door before he saw who had been waiting for him.

The other five members of the Rainbow Sisters were indeed there. Midori, Murasaki, Kiiro, Orenji, and Aoi. All of them were identifiable by the colored streaks in their hair. All of them were also dressed in their school uniforms so Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. No one was going to try and force him to become a husband or boyfriend through charm or force today it seemed. Still, being alone with a group of pretty girls was giving him flashbacks of all the disasters with the Fiancée Brigade and it was putting shivers down his spine by pure reflex.

"Ooooh, he looks yummy," Murasaki giggled as she blatantly oogled Ranma's form.

"Everyone, this is Ranma Saotome, the one who came to my aid yesterday," Kurenai smiled as she presented Ranma to his friends. "I hope you all get along with him. I know I will."

"Welcome to the Rainbow Sisters Secret Club!" the five girls smiled brightly.

"The what?" Ranma blinked in confusion. "You mean all of you are in the same club? I thought you were all part of different clubs too."

"Oh, we are," Aoi nodded, her face regaining its neutral look. "However, we have a lot of extra time to kill most of the week so we decided to put it to good use by creating this club."

The Sisters had all gotten up and were walking closer to Ranma, making the pigtailed boy flinch. This was reminding him WAY too much of some of the incidents with his old fiancées. That gleam appearing in their eyes didn't seem to be helping his nerves either.

"And…what does this club do?" asked Ranma.

"Well…we serve needs," Murasaki giggled. "Mostly our own. Do you know how stressful it is to be in our shoes? I bet you do. So, we started this club not only to satisfy those needs, but to satisfy the needs of our fellow students while we're at it."

"We don't discriminate," Orenji added. "The only rule is that you have to have an invitation. We hand them out whenever we feel like it, so when a student gets one, they're guaranteed entry into our club and service with a smile."

"Of course, exclusive clients can come in all the time," Midori beamed. "We'll service them anytime they want. Heck, even during the day of they feel like it. All they have to do is find one of us, a private place, and they can go as long as they want. Besides, we get the urge to do the same during the day so its win-win."

"Uhhh," Ranma gulped. This was starting to sound familiar.

"And since we found out about you, Ranma Saotome," Kiiro giggled. "We're handing exclusive rights to you right away. So, any needs you find that need quenching, just come look for us. We'll see you happily. Any…time...you…want." Her last words were added huskily as she stepped closer, almost pressing herself against Ranma's chest.

"Uh…uhhh…um," Ranma gulped, managing to get some space between himself and the group of girls. "That's…real generous of you…but I think I'm fine right now. Uh…just out of curiosity…what needs are we talking about here?" Subtlety was never Ranma's strong point in any universe. Hints just bounced right off of him.

Kurenai giggled, "Oh you tease. We mean carnal desires. You know, the ones that make your hormones churn and you need to get next to a woman right away. Well, thanks to us, you can have your pick of us six anytime you want!"

"WHAT?!" Ranma cried out. He knew this sounded familiar! Happosai once tried to trick him into going into a house of ill repute saying it was a dojo where he could learn marital arts. Of course, he worded the marital part as martial, making Ranma think it was a fighting dojo. He had gone in, but then came right back out with a red face and murderous intent aimed right at the diminutive pervert. Even now the experience was burned deeply into his mind. "Wait, wait, wait! Uh…I'm…not one to tell others what to do….but, you don't have to do this for me. Really. I saved Kurenai out of the goodness of my heart. I didn't want anything in return." '_Especially not something like THIS!!_'

"Oh but we just HAVE to!" Midori pouted.

"That's right, it just wouldn't be right if we didn't serve you," Aoi agreed with a nod.

"After all, we know who you are," Orenji added.

"You're our leader," sighed Murasaki.

"Our best," agreed Kiiro.

"Our King-sama," Kurenai purred.

Ranma's eyes snapped wide before all doubt left his mind. He took a leap back from the Rainbow Sisters with his back to the door, the sudden push of adrenaline had the side effect of forcing his Orphenoch markings to appear. Rather than appear afraid like most people would, the Rainbow Sisters began to squeal in delight at the sight. As they did, gray markings flashed over their own faces, indicating that they were Orphenchs as well. Ranma's scowl only deepened at the revelation.

"He is the Orphenoch King! I knew it!" Kurenai gushed. "Oh King-sama!"

"Take me here!" Murasaki sighed, her face flushing in excitement.

Ranma growled slightly at their excitement. He had been blind-sided! He didn't think that the Rainbow Sisters were the Orphenoch team which was going to convert the students of the school. Of course, considering their club now, it all made sense. After all, most high school students were slaves to their hormones and having six attractive girls who are free with their bodies and happily satisfy those hormone driven urges means plenty of opportunities to be alone with someone and more than enough time to try and sire them. It was a perfect strategy and they just tried to snag Ranma with it, if only to try and seduce him into joining them by offering six hot girls to 'play' with.

"Back off!" Ranma barked, making his Orphenoch markings appear more pronounced. Taking a deep breath, he dismissed them, but didn't leave his ready stance. "I told Smart Brain and their cronies hundreds of times that I'm not joining them and you six can't make me change my mind!"

"That's too bad. Maybe I can help then."

CRACK!!

Ranma felt something hit him in the back of the neck before the world went dark.

Watching their King hit the ground, the Rainbow Sisters looked up to see who had attacked him. Standing in the doorway of the infirmary was a bombshell of a woman with an indigo sweater on that made her chest QUITE pronounced with a short black skirt and long smooth legs covered in nylon stockings. She wore black high heels and her black hair was in a bun with indigo streaks laced in it. In her hand was a heavy book which appeared to be an encyclopedia.

"Ai-sensei!" Midori gasped. "You…you just struck the King!"

"Had to," the newly named Ai shrugged as she tossed the book away and shut the door. "King-sama was about to bolt or worse yet, attack. He's so troublesome that way, thinking that humans are more worthy of his protection than we are."

"So, what do we do?" asked Aoi.

"Well," Ai snickered. "You girls get him onto a bed and work your magic on him. If he still resists, I might try my hand. Of course, he has a cousin in the school too…"

* * *

Ranma groaned as consciousness returned to him. The last thing he remembered was that he discovered that the Rainbow Sisters were in fact the team of Orphenochs which were trying to sire the students in the academy. After that, something hit him pretty hard and he lost consciousness. As he tried to get his senses straight, he began to notice things one by one. He could feel cold chains wrapped around his wrists and what felt like a bed underneath him. A chill was in the air, which meant that his shirt was missing, but at least his pants were still on. Blinking, he felt something on his waist which he was pretty sure wasn't supposed to be there in the first place. Getting the grogginess out of his head, he focused his eyes…

…and saw six girls in colorful underwear sitting on the bed around him with seductive grins.

"Oh shit," Ranma groaned.

"No need to be distressed King-sama," Orenji purred as she pressed her athletic frame against his own. "We are not here to hurt you."

"We only want to please you," Aoi added, straddling one of his legs. "Is that so wrong?"

"Get off of me, right now," Ranma growled. While this was indeed something that any hormone-driven fellow would have dreamed of, Ranma was more of a realist when it came to situations like the one he was in. His past interactions with his former fiancées had long since granted him immunity from seduction unless it was in the most extreme of cases. He also knew that these six girls were Orphenochs, ones which had been placed by Smart Brain to sire the student body and spread the company's influence even further. Knowing that further killed Ranma's already heavily reduced libido and sex drive.

"Sorry, but we will have to deny that order, King-sama," a more mature voice answered. The six Rainbow Sisters moved out of Ranma's sight, allowing him to see the sexy school nurse who was sitting back on a chair, watching all of the action with a seductive/sinister smile on her face. "How's your head? Sorry about the blow, but I had to do something before you tried anything against us."

"For damn good reason!" Ranma snapped, struggling against the chains. "You're the ones who are attacking students! You're killing them all in some sick bid to take over the world!"

"Now, now," the nurse sighed, shaking her head. "No need to get aggressive. Really, what we do is attempt to improve on what is already there. Medical science does the same with people who need organ replacements or such doesn't it? Certainly people we attempt to sire in the past do die, but it is an imperfect procedure. We just need to perfect it before we can move on to everyone. How is that different from failed medical procedures?"

"Those people are willing when they go under the knife," Ranma growled, trying to ignore the feeling of the Rainbow Sisters pressing themselves against him. "You all force the change on others. You don't care if they want it or not."

"People who survive will thank us eventually," the nurse shrugged. "It's only a matter of time until the world belongs to us Orphenochs anyway. However, what we really need right now, is you King-sama. I know about the flaw in our genes. We risk killing ourselves every time we attempt to sire someone. If that flaw is allowed to continue existing, we risk destroying ourselves entirely. King-sama, we need you to save us. Can you really let your own people die like this? Without even lifting a finger?"

"Maybe if you people tried for coexistence, but I know about your plans for genocide!" Ranma frowned. "I will not help a bunch of murderers like you!"

"King-sama, why do you deny us?" the nurse sighed, almost as if she hadn't heard the denial of her request. "You only see the duties of your future role and the consequences if you do not fulfill them. Most Orphenochs believe in force, which I think is a mistake. We truly wish for you to come peacefully King-sama. To that end, why don't we show you just what kind of perks you will receive if you do take your place as our king?"

"Perks?" Ranma blinked.

"Show him girls," the nurse smiled as the Rainbow Sisters began to move forward on Ranma. "I've got a call to make."

* * *

DING-DONG

-WOULD STUDENT RANKO SAOTOME PLEASE RPORT TO THE INFIRMARY? I REPEAT, WOULD STUDENT RANKO SAOTOME PLEASE REPORT TO THE INFIRMARY-

Ranko heard the announcement and headed straight to the infirmary without pause. Ranma hadn't returned since Kurenai had dragged him off and it had her slightly concerned. Knowing luck like theirs though, the Rainbow Sisters might have gotten into a fight over him and ended up breaking something that the school would want replaced. Also likely was that Ranma got hurt in the process of the Rainbow Sisters quarreling, explaining why Ranko had been called down to the infirmary. Still, it was just one reason why the female formed Saotome was being called down to the health office while her Faiz counterpart was currently missing in action so she would just have to see.

Finding the infirmary, Ranko slipped the door open and stepped inside, sliding it shut, she looked around.

And froze…

Residing on one of the beds was indeed her counterpart, but he wasn't alone. All six of the known Rainbow Sisters were cuddled up against him in states of undress. Of course, all of their underwear was lacy and color coded with their names. They were all likewise making a very concentrated effort in relieving Ranma of his current outfit while at the same time they tried to arouse him. Ranma himself was fighting it by struggling against them while his arms were tied with chains against the frame of the bed he was currently lying back on. Currently his jacket was wide open along with his shirt, revealing his toned chest while Aoi and Kiiro were working on his pants with Kurenai, Orenji, Midori, and Murasaki rubbing against his chest and whispering to him.

"Don't fight it King-sama," Murasaki purred.

"We only want to please you," Kurenai added.

"It's for the best, you'll see," Orenji added.

"SHUT UP! LEMME GO!" Ranma bellowed, struggling with his chains and shifting his hips so that the yellow and blue sisters would let go. "I SAID I WON'T HELP SMART BRAIN!!"

"King-sama, why must you be so difficult?" a female voice sighed. Turning, Ranko spotted who she assumed to be the school doctor leaning in a chair. She was watching the proceedings with distaste, obviously hoping that the sisters would manage to get Ranma to change his mind about taking his perceived role as the Orphenoch King. "Humanity's time is over and the era of the Orphenochs is far overdue. You're destined to be our leader and usher in this new age. Why are you fighting it? It's fate!"

"SCREW FATE!" Ranma bellowed. "I WON'T HELP A BUNCH OF GENOCIDAL LUNATICS!!"

"So difficult," Ai sighed. Really, she had never met anyone who could resist the charms of one of the Rainbow Sisters much less all six of them. '_It seems some force might be needed after all,_' Ai thought as she turned her gaze over to the stunned Ranko. Of course, the pigtailed girl wasn't stunned for the reasons that Ai was expecting, that being talk about the Orphenoch King and such things. Like any Ranma Saotome, she was stunned at the sight of what the Rainbow Sisters were doing. "Then I will put it this way King-sama, submit to your fate or I will sire your cousin and we'll try to have her convince you."

"Huh?" Ranko blinked, turning to the nurse.

Ai stood up from her chair and immediately shifted into an Orphenoch. Her chest armor being that of a clam shell while her arms being covered in layer of armor which had gray barnacles on it. She possessed gilded plating on the waist, but it looked like clam shells again. Her legs were covered in iron armor again, but the iron was covered in barnacles. Her head was covered in what looked like a slightly open clam with only a single white eye staring out as if it were a pearl. Ai had revealed herself as the Clam Orphenoch.

"_Now hold still,_" the Clam Orphenoch ordered as it reached out to Ranko, preparing its siring tentacles to use on the cursed martial artist.

"I don't think so!" Ranko cried, going into a whirl of motion and charging up a sphere of ki, "MOKO TAKABISHA!"

"_What?!_" was all the Clam Orphenoch managed to get out before the orb of confidence crashed into its torso, knocking it back into the counter where the medical supplies were kept. Part of that counter was where a sink was placed and when the Clam Orphenoch hit it, it broke the piping and caused water to spray in all directions. Since there was a water heater under said sink, that water was also rather hot. It sprayed in all directions, incidentally hitting Ranko and triggering the curse, changing her back into a male Ranma Saotome.

"HUH?!" was he collective cry of the soggy Rainbow Sisters. Were they seeing double?

"Thanks for helping us find out who the team of Orphenochs in this school were," Ranma commented as he rotated his arm, trying to look cool despite being in a female school uniform. "Since you all couldn't resist the bait and went for your King, we now know who each and all of you really are."

"_Damn you!_" screeched the Clam Orphenoch. "_You were hunting for us this whole time?!_"

"What do you think we were doing here?" Ranma-Faiz chuckled from his bindings. "We knew exactly what you all were doing. We just had to figure out who you all were."

"And now that we know, we're going to take you all down," Ranma frowned, reaching behind his back and producing the Decadriver. "Since we knew that all Orphenochs who are part of Smart Brain know who Ranma Saotome is, we figured that if he was seen with the most popular group on campus, the team of Orphenochs placed here to sire the students wouldn't be able to resist trying to recruit him for the cause. We just didn't expect that the Rainbow Sisters actually WERE the team."

-FLASHBACK-

_Both Ranmas were continuing their brainstorm session as to what to do with the information that they had. They suspected that the Rainbow Sisters were indeed the targets of choice for any Orphenoch which was aiming to sire all of the students in the school. The problem was how to identify them?_

"_The only clue we have was that Shark Orphenoch and he seemed to be newly sired to me," Ranma-Faiz sighed as he sipped at a drink. "I didn't even see what he looked like in his human form so I don't know which kind of students they would target first."_

"_So if we can't go to them, make them come to us," Ranma shrugged as he pondered. "It is how I always managed to get the old perv when I actually needed him on the rare occasion. We know these Orphenochs will probably target the Rainbow Sisters. So, we get in good with them and hang out so when an Orphenoch tries for them again, we'll be there to see who it is."_

"_And how do we do that?" asked Ranma-Faiz. "I don't know about you, but my social skills stink. I'm not too proud to say it."_

"_Oh, right," Ranma nodded. He pondered for a few more moments before a thought came to him. "Wait, does Smart Brain know you're the King? I mean, would they tell their grunts and such about you?"_

"_Most likely," Ranma-Faiz nodded. "They'll need their grunts to know if they want to bring me in. Why?"_

"_Well, if we're to lure in that team of Orphenochs," Ranma grinned. "What better bait then the King himself? Kurenai is probably going to tell her friends and you know how chatty girls can get with hot gossip. Hearing how the transfer student rescued her from a monster in a suit of armor will definitely spread fast."_

"_And the Orphenochs in the school will hear it!" Ranma-Faiz gasped. "That means they'll stop going after the Rainbow Sisters and come after me!"_

"_Right," Ranma grinned. "The perfect bait."_

-END FLASHBACK-

"_No, no, NO!_" the Clam Orphenoch screeched. She had been played! The King has used himself as bait knowing that any and all Orphenochs under Smart Brain would leap at the chance to try and recruit him! "_This isn't happening! I've worked too long and too hard or this! The age of the Oprhenochs will start in this school! We will take what's ours!_"

"The world is meant for everyone who lives on it," Ranma frowned as he strapped the Decadriver around his waist. "No one has exclusive rights to it because of what species they are. Everyone deserves to be part of the world be they human, Orphenoch, or anything in-between. Anyone who believes otherwise is just an arrogant fool who lives in delusions."

"_Bastard!_" the Clam Orphenoch hissed as it stepped through the spraying water. "_Who the hell do you think you are?!_"

"Me?" Ranma blinked, drawing the Decade card. "I'm just a Kamen Rider who's passing through. My name is Ranma Saotome. Remember it! Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!"**

The nine symbols appeared around Ranma before changing into human shapes and combining onto him, forming the armor of Decade. The red panels then emerged from his belt and merged with his helmet, turning sections of the armor red. Gripping the Ride Booker, he turned it into its gun formation and fired directly at his counterpart. The Rainbow Sisters screamed and moved out of the way while the bullets collided with the chains. The tough metal broke and slumped to the floor, releasing Ranma-Faiz from his prison. Getting up, he dashed to his counterpart's side.

"Thanks," Ranma-Faiz nodded as he retrieved his Faiz Gear thanks to the Hidden Weapons technique he acquired from Mousse before he bolted from Nerima and strapped it around his waist. "That didn't turn out like we were expecting."

"No," Decade agreed. "But there are worse ways for it to go. Imagine if your girlfriend saw?"

"Shut up," Ranma-Faiz growled, pulling out his phone and typing in a code.

**5-5-5-ENTER**

"**Standing By."**

"Henshin!" Ranma-Faiz called, snapping the phone into place and locking it.

"**Complete."**

The photon streams traveled up Ranma-Faiz body before he flashed bright red. The light then died down to reveal Kamen Rider Faiz standing in the Saotome's place.

Seeing the two Kamen Riders together did nothing for the Clam Orphenoch's temper. Trembling with fury, she turned to see the recovering Rainbow Sisters, "_Get up! We have to stop them or else our whole plan is going to go to waste!_"

"Right!" the six young women agreed before their Orphenoch markings appeared before transforming.

Murasaki's Orphenoch Form was covered in what looked like lengths of vines which covered the provocative spots of her body, even though what was revealed to be flesh was actually thing metallic armor. Giant ivy leaves covered her shoulders and knees while her head was covered in the leaves, only revealing a single pair of eyes which could see perfectly. Blue fire erupted from her hand, forming into a battle staff with an ivy leaf-shaped blade at the tip. She had become the Ivy Orphenoch.

Kurenai had shifted into a bulky armor which looked thick but also accented a muscular feminine frame. Her shoulders were spiked but looked like icebergs while her hands seemed more like flippers with three fingers. Her helmet was large with round jowls producing two long tusks which revealed a face hidden behind a scarf and two glassy white eyes. Her legs seemed thick, but also muscular wrapped in belts on her thighs and shins. She had become a Walrus Orphenoch.

Midori shifted into a form which had a jagged torso that had a jagged line running vertically down her chest. Her shoulders were formed in a similar way which what appeared to be roots ran down her arms and ended in her pointed fingers. Her legs had coils of gray roots running down her legs, ending in pointed feet. Her face seemed almost flat with only a pair of narrow eyes and the top of her head ended in a jagged form. She had become the Venus Flytrap Orphenoch.

Aoi's transformation came just as fast, leaving her in segmented torso armor with rounded shoulders which looked like trilobites down her arms. She had a smooth face, for the bottom half. The toop half was covered in a mask which was similar to the front of a trilobite. Her legs had trilobite-like armor covering them while a trilobite ponytail seemed to come down from the back of her neck, completing the look. Only an idiot wouldn't be able to tell she was in truth the Trilobite Orphenoch.

Orenji shifted quickly, donning organic armor which looked like it was made of a bird's wing with the longest feather reaching over the right shoulder. The left shoulder was bare and both arms ended in scaled hands which looked like crow's feet. Her legs were covered in feather-like armor with short wings at her ankles. Hr head looked like a metal helmet with a beak acting as a visor with holes poked in it for visibility. In her hands were feather-shaped swords. She had become the Crow Orphenoch.

Finally Kiiro shifted her form, revealing that of a thin creature with gray burlap running down its back and arms. What armor it had was coiled around its forearms and shins, looking like shells of some kind. The torso looked like it was made out of barnacles and seaweed, giving an aquatic look. Its head was that of a seashell, revealing a single eye from the opening of the shell. Its shoulders were spiked and smaller seashells were wrapped around its waist like a bad belt. This was the Seashell Orphenoch.

"That's a lot of Orphenochs," Decade muttered as he kept a tight grip on his weapon.

"Most I've ever fought," Faiz muttered, clenching his fists. "If we win, this will be my new personal best."

"_Get them!_" the Clam Orphenoch shrieked.

The battle was on.

Decade dodged an attack from the Ivy Orphenoch while shooting a few rounds at the Crow before kicking the Trilobite away. Faiz blocked a blow from the Walrus before pushing it back into the Clam and Flytrap Orphenochs. Both Riders looked up before several seashells collided with their chest, bringing a rain of sparks courtesy of the Seashell Orphenoch. Decade pressed forward, tackling the Seashell Orphenoch into the wall, while Faiz used a roundhouse to beat off the Crow and Walrus Orphenochs. Looking around, the rebellious Orphenoch King saw that he didn't have any space for a real fight and his Decade counterpart was only taking up more space in his own fight.

"Decade! We need more room!" Faiz shouted.

"Right! Saotome Secret Technique!" Decade cried.

"FAST BREAK!!" the two Riders both called. Dashing towards the windows, they smashed through the glass, and landed on the pavement of the campus just inside the front gates.

"_Get back here!_" the Clam Orphenoch roared as she and her cronies leaped through the windows, landing on the pavement and face off against the Riders. Decade and Faiz both took it in stride. Despite being Orphenochs, the Rainbow Sisters were still just schoolgirls and while they knew how to use their abilities, they weren't fighters. Still, they were tough and both Riders needed to be careful or else they would get hurt.

"I've got an idea," Faiz spoke. He drew his cell phone as he did so "But we need some space to get it to work,"

"Okay," Decade nodded, drawing an Attack Ride card. Opening the Decadriver, he threw it in. "Let's do this."

"**Attack Ride: Blast!"**

**1-0-6-ENTER**

"**Burst Mode."**

Faiz pushed the top of his phone forward, turning into a gun while Decade activated his own card. Both Riders took aim at the charging seven Orphenochs before they opened fire. Blasts of energy ripped from their firearms, colliding with the natural armor of the seven Orphenochs. Sparks ripped from the seven as they dropped back from the impacts, hitting the ground and groaning in pain. Smart Brain tech was made specifically to fight off any threats, human or Orphenoch while Decade's system was made to fight any Kaijin it met. Needless to say, the seven were in a world of pain at the moment.

"Okay," Faiz nodded as he replaced his phone. "Autovajin!"

Decade heard a motorcycle roar as he turned to see the motorcycle which created the roar driving towards the pair. It came to a stop in front of Faiz as the Rider walked to the machine and opened a hidden compartment in the seat. He shuffled for a moment before retrieving what appeared to be a small boom box with the Smart Brain insignia placed above the control buttons which would activate the functions. Turning back to the collected Orphenochs, Faiz removed the Mission Memory from his belt and placed it in a slot which was located near the back of the boom box.

"**Ready."**

With the Mission memory placed, the speakers on the boom box folded inside the machine while cannons extended from the back of said speakers when they were fully turned around. With the speakers folded in, there were two handles revealed which Faiz held onto rather than the carrying handle which was on top of the boom box.

"Wait, that thing's a weapon?" Decade blinked in surprise.

"Smart Brain makes all their weapons look like harmless objects," Fai replied as he rejoined his counterpart. "My Pointer is a flashlight while the Duster looks like a camera. Heck, the Autovajin may look like a motorcycle, but it's also a powerful combat robot."

"Woah," Decade gasped. Looking to the Orphenochs, he saw that they were getting up again, pumping themselves for another charge. "Looks like our time window is about to close."

"I'm ready," Faiz nodded as he reached to his belt, opened the phone, and pressed the Enter button.

"**Exceed Charge."**

Twin charges of energy transferred up Faiz' torso as the command was activated. The streams then transferred into his arms and then down into the boom box. The disguised weapon then came to life as red light appeared inside of the cannons which were aimed at the Orphenoch team. Finally, Faiz hit a hidden trigger inside of the machine which caused it to fire. Twin beams of red energy pulsed from the cannons, colliding with the team of Orphenochs. All of them screamed in pain as they exploded into blue fire with the Phi symbol hanging in the air over each of them. When the fires dimmed, six Orphenochs could be seen beginning to crumble.

"_Why…do you…hate us so?_" the Walrus Orphenoch asked before she crumbled into dust like her classmates.

Struggling to stay alive, the Clam Orphenoch was revealed at the back of the group. Both fighters took in her wounded appearance and guessed that she had apparently used the others as a shield from Faiz' massive attack to a small degree of success. Both Faiz and Decade readied themselves for another fight as the boom box was discarded. The Clam Orphenoch appeared to be half dead as blue fire continued to crackle along its body, giving it an appearance of extreme pain. Still, it continued to stand as it stared at the two Riders.

"_You…bastards,_" it gasped. "_I'll make you pay!_"

Instead of charging them though, the Clam Orphenoch dashed inside of the school, causing Decade and Faiz to give chase behind it.

* * *

The Clam Orphenoch descended into the very basement of the school, brushing past horrified students and teachers alike. It didn't care though; the whole plan had been ruined all because of a disobedient King and some look-alike! All of the careful planning, training the Rainbow Sisters, getting them to the top of the social ladder, all of it had gone to waste! Now the students wouldn't be able to be sired like it had planned. No…the Riders would have to pay. Luckily, Plan B would take care of that.

Slamming through a pair of iron doors at the very bottom of the school, the Clam Orphenoch behind a giant shape held within the shadows, riddled with tubes and needles which were connected to containers filled with liquid. The subject was breathing, almost snoring as the chemicals were fed into its body. Stumbling forward, the Clam Orphenoch found a control panel next to the slumbering giant. The panel itself had a screen on it with the words 'Project E' at the top. With trembling hands, it began typing in a code. When the code was complete the words 'WARNING! NARCOTIC STIMULANTS BEING CUT OFF WILL AWAKEN SUBJECT. PROCEED?' appeared.

"_You'll pay,_" The Clam Orphenoch chuckled sinisterly. "_I will usher in the age of Orphenochs!_"

Pressing the Y button on the panel, the Clam Orphenoch sighed with relief before it suddenly exploded in blue flames with a red Phi symbol appearing over it like a funeral shroud. As the Clam Orphenoch's body crumbled into dust, the tubes feeding chemicals into the slumbering giant suddenly deactivated. Without the chemicals, the giant began to stir, its eyes opening to the darkness around it. Growing more aware, the giant began to snarl. Thrashing, all of the tubes became disconnected, letting the giant be released into the world at large.

* * *

"Damn, where'd she go?" asked Faiz as he and Decade exited the school from the back. Somehow, the Clam Orphenoch had given them the slip despite the injuries it had suffered. There were certainly enough terrified students in the school wondering just what the heck was going on. Both Riders had tried to calm some of the most scared of the students down, but refrained from mentioning that the monsters they had seen fighting the Riders were the Rainbow Sisters. It was best not to ruin their fantasies.

"She's fast for a half dead clam monster," Decade admitted as he cast a glance at the surrounding area, finding no trace of the Orphenoch in question. "Do you think she bolted or turned to dust somewhere?"

"My luck's never been that good," Faiz frowned as he tried to find a clue. "Knowing that, she probably has something really mean just waiting for us."

"You think so?" wondered Decade.

Suddenly, the ground trembled as if an earthquake was happening. Both Faiz and Decade managed to keep their balance as it felt like the world was trebling beneath their feet. The campus grounds of the school began to crack and crumble as the shaking became more violent. As the cracks became more pronounced, there was a bulge rising from the ground itself. It was hard to notice at first, but then it grew, making itself known. A small portion of the ground seemed to burst as a large silver horn broke through the surface. Immediately after, the bulge in the ground exploded, releasing a giant beast which was roaring loudly.

The monster itself seemed to be the size of a small house. Its entire body was covered in a thick carapace which was silver and reflected some amount of light. Its face was covered in the same armor with numerous sharp teeth and a large horn, giving it a rhino-like appearance. Along its neck, several large gray chains hung from its flesh, making it appear almost as if it were wearing chainmail. Its legs were short and stubby with large flat nails like a rhino would have along with a short stubby tail. The beast roared loudly as the two Riders gaped at its appearance. The Elasmotherium Orphenoch had risen.

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Decade gaped in shock at the giant monster.

"That…is one BIG Orphenoch," Faiz mumbled, amazed that such a beast existed and was standing in front of them.

The Elasmotherium Orphenoch bellowed a third time before staring at the two Riders in front of it. Snarling, it reacted by instinct, seeing the Riders as intruders into its territory, and charged at the pair. Decade brought up his Ride Booker in gun mode while Faiz punched a code into his phone and activated its blaster function. Both Riders opened fire on the giant Orphenoch, but their rounds proved ineffective as they bounced off the Orphenoch's thick hide. With the giant beast coming closer, both Riders ran to the sides, avoiding being trampled by the beast. The Elasmotherium Orphenoch skidded to a halt before turning around ad roaring loudly at the two invaders of its territory.

"Just how the heck do we beat something like THAT?!" demanded Faiz.

"Hey, we beat the Orochi, didn't we?" asked Decade, recalling an adventure in Ryuzengawa with a beast which was roughly the same size as the Orphenoch in front of them. Drawing one of his cards, he opened the Decadriver. "We just can't afford to go halfway this time. It's all out!"

"**Final Attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade!"**

"No kidding," Faiz agreed before he took his Faiz Pointer and inserted the Mission Memory into a hidden slot. He then attached it to his leg before opening his phone and pressing the Enter button to begin his own hissatsu.

"**Ready."**

"**Exceed Charge."**

"Hah!" both Riders shouted as they leaped into the air. Nine golden cards appeared in front of Decade as he began coming back down. The Faiz Pointer fired out a beam of red light which opened up into a cone in front of the Elasmotherium Orphenoch. Both Riders extended their legs into a side kick as they prepared to hit the giant Orphenoch with their most powerful blows. As both Riders came down for the hopefully killing blow, the Elasmotherium Orphenoch bellowed and charged. It collided with both the nine projections and the red cone, smashing right through them much to the Riders' horror. It continued its charge, tagging both Riders with its horn and knocking them both a fair distance away as it charged past.

"Agh!" Faiz cried as he hit the ground, Decade making a similar noise as he hit the sidewalk next to his counterpart. Both Riders looked at the roaring Orphenoch and saw that it hadn't received a scratch for their trouble while both Riders' bodies were screaming in protest at even looking up. "Well…that didn't work. What do we do now?"

"Not sure," Decade moaned as he got to his knees. "You have any plans?"

"Nope," Faiz grunted as he got to his feet. "But I'm not giving up. I NEVER give up!"

"That's right," Decade chuckled as he managed to get to his own feet. "We're Ranma Saotome dang it. We never lose!"

Suddenly, the Ride Booker snapped open and three cards shot out of it. By reflex, Decade caught the three in his hand. The first one was supposed to be a Kamen Ride card but the face was grayed out. The second card looked like it was split into two halves, but both pictures were blank while the last one looked like a Final Attack Ride card, but with no picture. Suddenly, energy passed over the cards, filling them in. The Kamen Ride card was filled with Faiz' picture with a Phi symbol behind him, the second held an image of both Faiz and a large gun of some kind, and the last card held a golden Phi symbol in it.

"These…might come in handy," Decade admitted before he placed two of the cards back into the Ride Booker and opened the Decadriver for the last one. Tossing the card into the belt device, he shut it again so to activate it.

"**Final Form Ride: Fa-Fa-Fa-Faiz!"**

"This may tickle a bit," Decade spoke as he placed his Faiz counterpart in front of him.

"Huh?" was all Faiz could say before Decade's palm slapped his back. The photon lines in Faiz' suit flashed before a trigger mechanism of some kind rose from his chest. Faiz suddenly moved horizontal in the air as he turned face down. His arms folded behind his back as white metal encased them to become dual scopes while his head became incased in a white metal box. More white metal emerged from his body, covering it and giving him a gun-like form. The Faiz Pointer shifted sideways so that it could be used as a handle. Finally, a box with two barrels in it emerged from Faiz' legs and situated themselves on the bottom of his feet. Kamen Rider Faiz had been transformed into the Faiz Blaster.

"_What did you do to me?!_" Faiz cried from his new form.

"It's a combination of our power," Decade answered as he gripped the handle and trigger mechanism. "Stay calm. It'll help us take this thing down."

The Elasmotherium Orphenoch bellowed at the pair, not caring about the rather large weapon pointed at it. However, what did catch its attention was the sound of slamming school doors. Casting its gaze, the Elasmotherium Orphenoch spotted several students who were trying to make a break from the battle area. The giant Orphenoch, while simple-minded, was actually biologically programmed to do two things at any given time. The first directive was to eliminate threats and/or intruders such as Faiz and Decade. The second directive was to target any and all humans before attempting to sire them. Seeing the humans trying to escape, the second directive kicked it. Roaring, the rabid giant of an Orphenoch generated several tentacles from its mouth which could easily sire several humans at once before it began to charge at the terrified high school students.

"NO!" Decade and Faiz both cried. Decade acted quickly by aiming the Faiz Blaster at the moving Orphenoch and shooting several bursts. Several blasts ripped through the air and collided with the Elasmotherium Orphenoch's side, causing miniature explosions which blasted right through its carapace. The beast screeched in pain as the force of the shots caused it to stumble and skid across the ground, leaving gouges in the pavement. With the beast suitably distracted, the students who had been its target began fleeing for their lives.

"_We can't let that thing try again!_" Faiz snapped. "_I'll bet that it was made for large scale attacks to sire whole groups of people at once! We can't let it leave here!_"

"No kidding," Decade agreed. "Okay, here goes."

Finding a secondary trigger, Decade pulled it. The Faiz Blaster reacted by firing a stream of energy from its twin barrels which Decade had assumed to be scopes. The stream collided with the Elasmotherium Orphenoch, making it screech again before opening up into a large cone like Faiz would release when he used his Pointer. Unlike before, the giant Orphenoch was suitably stunned and unable to move. Decade then opened his Decadriver with a single hand, somehow keeping the Faiz Blaster raised with his remaining hand. He drew a card from his Decadriver, one depicting a gold Phi symbol, before sliding it into the Decadriver and shutting it again.

"**Final Attack Ride: Fa-Fa-Fa-Faiz!"**

The barrels of the Faiz Blaster came to life with red light as the attack charged. Decade took careful aim at the struggling giant Orphenoch as it tried to escape from the paralyzing charge which the previous shot kept on it. He didn't want to miss. When he felt that the charge in the weapon was enough, he pressed the main trigger on the Faiz Blaster. The Rider turned weapon then unleashed a blast of red energy which cut through the air in a stream of energy. The beam was uninterrupted as it collided with the cone and then with the side of the Elasmotherium Orphenoch.

BUH-WHOOM!!

The side of the giant Orphenoch was blown wide open in a blaze of blue fire while its entire body was engulfed in the same. Above it, the red phi symbol hovered in the air above it as a flag of victory for the Riders. The giant beast gave off a final roar before its body began to fail. It collapsed, crumbling into dust which littered the ground. The only sign left of the beast's existence was the huge pile of ash which served as its corpse.

Sighing, Decade looked to his weapon before he threw it into the air. It shifted and changed before coming back down as Kamen Rider Faiz once again. Both Riders looked to what had once been the Elasmotherium Orphenoch. Both were a little stunned that they had not only fought, but had even bested such a beast.

"Well…we won," Decade muttered.

"I'd say so," Faiz agreed.

"So…what now?" asked Decade.

"I don't know. You hungry?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

The two Ranmas laughed.

--TIME BREAK—

"Wow! So you mean there was a giant Orphenoch hidden under the school?!" Keitaro gaped as both Ranmas recounted the tale of their battle.

With the task complete, both Ranmas decided that they weren't needed around Smart Brain Academy anymore. With the damage done to the school by the giant Orphenoch and the Rainbow Sisters anyway, it was a safe bet that classes were going to be cancelled if not the whole school was being shut down for investigation. So, the two Riders took their leave and headed back to the dry cleaning store where their friends were waiting for their return. They didn't have to coax the two Saotomes to get the story behind their sudden early homecoming.

"Yeah. It was huge," Ranma-Faiz nodded. "I think Smart Brain might have made it in case humans and Orphenochs go to war. You know, as a way to sire large groups of humans at once."

"Brrr. I don't even want to think about seeing a monster like that," Mari shivered.

"Oh my!" Kasumi gasped.

"You said it," Ranma agreed. "We didn't quite expect to find out that the Rainbow Sisters were the actual team of Orphenochs in the school. I guess we were a little misled when Faiz here saw a Shark Orphenoch attacking one of them."

"It was probably a trap to get you closer to the sisters," Mari shrugged, not really caring that the seven were gone after hearing the story of what they tried to do to 'convince' Ranma-Faiz into joining their side of the conflict. "Anyway, the point is that those seven are gone, the students are safe, and we don't have to worry about someone trying to steal Ranma-kun away again."

"KING-SAMA!!!"

The front door of the store suddenly burst open as the familiar form of Smart Lady came bursting inside. She looked around frantically for a moment before she spotted the two Ranmas sitting with their friends. She didn't seem to take notice of the fact that there were two Ranmas before she dashed towards them and tackled/glomped Ranma-Faiz to the ground. The native to the Faiz world blushed bright red as Smart Lady pressed herself against him, hugging him tightly.

"Oh King-sama!" Smart Lady cried. "I just heard about it. The whole Orphenoch team at the Academy and Project E are gone! I knew it was you right away. Everyone thought Project E was going to be unstoppable but you proved them wrong Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!"

Everyone blinked at the emotional woman, stunned at her sudden appearance. Of course, that silence only lasted so long before the delayed reaction Mari was having at seeing Smart Lady finally reached her brain. Growling, she slammed her palms into the table as she stood up, "And just why the heck are YOU here?!"

"I came to see King-sama and make sure he was okay," Smart Lady huffed as she got back up and brought Ranma-Faiz to his feet.

"Well, I'm fine so it's okay," Ranma-Faiz tried to reassure his almost-girlfriend. Sitting down, he almost lost his breath as Smart Lady promptly seated herself on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. Needless to say, the Faiz counterpart was somewhat flushed at the closeness of the attractive woman.

"HEY!" Mari snapped, "Stop with the indecent behavior already!"

"Nya!" Smart Lady frowned, sticking her tongue out at Mari, making the young woman fume. Ignoring the hopeful hairdresser's sputtering, Smart Lady turned her attention back to Ranma-Faiz. "King-sama, after news got out about the Academy Plan's failure, I found out who the team of Orphenochs were. Is it true that they were a secret escort service in the school?"

"Yep!" Keitaro answered, seeing Ranma-Faiz' eyes grow wide in horror. "Both Ranma-kuns said that they tried to seduce our Ranma-kun! They won't say how they tried, but I'm sure if they knew he was the Orphenoch King then they would have tried real hard!"

"KEITARO! She doesn't need to know that part!" Ranma-Faiz blushed.

"Hmph! Then I'm glad they failed and that they're gone," Smart Lady huffed. Her face then adopted a seductive smile as she leaned in close to Ranma-Faiz's face and stroked his cheek with her fingers. "I don't want any woman but me touching you that way King-sama."

"Hu-uh…mu," Ranma-Faiz blushed, turning into a gibbering mess at Smart Lady's touch and tone.

Mari was the only one who seemed outraged while the rest of the group had some amusement in seeing the normally tough Ranma Saotome reduced to mush by the touch of Smart Lady. Even the Decade Ranma had some amusement from it, seeing how goofy his face looked. No wonder some of the students at Furinkan seemed to find it funny when one of the fiancées came calling and got him nervous or something along those lines.

"Well," Keitaro smiled as he stood up. "Since we're all here, let's celebrate the good we did today!"

"PARTY!!"

* * *

The party had lasted into the evening with sake being passed around. It was nothing strong, but enough to get a nice buzz going on. Naturally, neither Ranmas nor Kasumi drank the stuff seeing what idiots it turned their fathers into in the past. Of course, everyone else drank a fair amount of it. Keitaro was going on about how he would make everyone in the world happy while Mari got into a shouting match with Smart Lady over who cared about Ranma-Faiz more. Of course when said Ranma tried to break the fight up, Smart Lady pulled him into a passionate kiss while Mari tried to bring them both apart. It was a nice party when everything was said and done.

Outside though, both Ranmas were watching the sun, getting some peace and quiet.

"You know," Ranma commented. "I think I learned something from you while I was here."

"Oh yeah?" asked Ranma-Faiz. "It must have been quick since you were here for only three days."

"Shaddup," Ranma chuckled. "Still, if there was one thing different between the two of us, I'd have to say that you're more independent than I am."

"How do you mean?" asked the Faiz native.

"Well, I mean back home, no matter what the heck happened, no matter the challenges or stupid stunts, I still stuck with Pop and stayed at the Tendo Dojo no matter what," Ranma explained. "I guess even with all the bad stuff me, Pop, or whoever brought I just couldn't get the courage to get up and walk away from it all. I mean, with honor on the line and stuff, I just felt it was impossible. I probably used that for a crutch didn't I?"

"Well," Ranma-Faiz shrugged. "It's true. I guess I am pretty independent. After the failed wedding, I got up and made a life of my own. Granted I turned into an Orphenoch and killed someone before I did though. My advice to you though: don't wait until something bad happens before you decide to go out on your own. Do it while the going's good so you can have a place to come back to."

"Even if the Fiancée Brigade will probably try to hunt me down?" asked Ranma with a deadpan expression.

"Even then," Ranma-Faiz laughed. "If you really are independent, then you can deal with them on your terms rather than letting them do it on theirs and falling back on others to push you through. I'm not saying you can't stand on your own when it counts. But…you and I do have the same experiences for the most part so I'm guessing when we were really independent was when we were in fights, right?"

"…yeah," Ranma reluctantly admitted.

"So just try to make a stand outside of fights," Ranma-Faiz suggested. "I did and now I can't complain. I could do without fighting Orphenochs though."

"Me too," Ranma nodded with a grin.

"That's good advice."

Both Ranmas turned to see who was talking and found Kasumi, Keitaro, Smart Lady, and Mari all watching them. Kasumi was in front of them all and holding a shard of glass in her hands which was looking strikingly familiar. Ranma didn't need much more incentive to know that it was a piece of the Nanban Mirror. It was a shard similar to the one which had brought them to Faiz World in the first place.

"Time to go then," asked Ranma.

"I'm afraid so," Kasumi nodded. "I found it inside the case where Faiz-kun keeps his belt. It just wasn't there until after you both came back from beating that group of Orphenochs."

"Figures," Ranma sighed. He then turned to his counterpart. "Well, I suppose this is goodbye then."

"But you guys just can't leave!" Keitaro cried out. "We have to commemorate the event somehow! Oh! I have a Polaroid camera! We can use that!"

Without waiting for an answer, Keitaro dashed back inside of the store and some crashed could be heard for a few moments before he came back out with a Polaroid camera. "Okay, now everyone get into a group!" he then spotted a man walking down the street who was wearing a brown leather jacket, jeans, a baseball cap, and was carrying a leather travel case. "Sir! Could you do us a favor?" Keitaro talked to the man for a few moments before the passerby agreed and took the camera. Keitaro then ran back to the group as they got together. Kasumi stood next to Ranma smiling pleasantly while Smart Lady cuddled close to Ranma-Faiz with her head on his shoulder. Mari stood next to the pair while Keitaro was kneeling down in front of them all.

"Say cheese!" said the baseball cap man.

"CHEESE!" the group called out.

KA-CHACK

KA-CHACK

"Thank-you!" Keitaro grinned as he took the camera back along with the two photos. The baseball cap man nodded and continued on his way, whistling pleasantly. Keitaro was more focused on the photos as he brought them and the camera back to the group of friends. "Ooh! They turned out really cool!"

"Lemme see," Ranma-Faiz spoke up as he took a photo. Examining it, he found that all of the people were indeed inside the photo like they should be. However, hanging above them were two large transparent headshots of Faiz and Decade. It made for a very unique photo.

"Oh my! How nice," Kasumi smiled. "I'll be sure to treasure this."

"You can have the camera too," Keitaro grinned as he handed said Polaroid camera to the eldest Tendo. "You can use it to record your trip. I know I would do the same if I was in your position."

"Oh! Thank you!" Kasumi smiled as she pocketed the camera inside of her apron along with the photo marking their trip to Faiz World. Smiling with a gentle look in her eyes, she turned to Ranma, "I think we've stayed long enough. I think it's time we got going."

"Yeah. I guess so," Ranma nodded. "Thanks for having us guys. We appreciate it."

"No problem," Ranma-Faiz laughed. "Just take care of yourselves and kick butt in the next Rider World."

"Will do," Ranma nodded as he drew the Nanban Mirror from a ki pocket. Bringing over to Kasumi, the eldest Tendo brought the mirror shard close to the magical artifact. As with what happened before, the shard leaped from her hand and inserted itself into the mirror next to the Faiz Shard. Both shards flashed with light for a moment as they collected their power. When both shards came into contact, their images became one. This image revealed a Rider with large green eyes for a visor and three golden horns, one bisecting the visor and the other two on the sides of his head. Behind him appeared to be a busy Tokyo street with the Tokyo Tower rising into the air behind him.

There was a silver flash which blinded Kasumi and Ranma before it faded away. Blinking, both of them looked around to see where they were. They immediately found themselves on the corner of an intersection on a sidewalk. Tokyo Tower was looming over them in the distance while numerous stores lined the streets. One of which was called Bistro La Salle which seemed to be a bistro restaurant. Several sakura trees lined the sidewalk to give it a greener look while a few cars drove up and down the streets.

"Where do you think we are now Ranma?" asked Kasumi.

"Not sure," Ranma shrugged. "Only one way to find out."

--ELSEWHERE—

"Run Yuka! Run!" the terrified teenager named Sayuri cried as she and her friend ran for their lives.

The pair of Furinkan girls was running for their lives past back alleys and older buildings. It had started out as a simple shortcut, but now it was a race for their lives as they continued to run from their pursuers. Said pursuers were in fact two green monsters which looked like cocoons with long claws on their right arms. Their faces looked like skeletons with hands covering the eyes which were trapped in their cocoon-like bodies. They were the alien insect-like monsters called Pupaworms, the basic soldiers of the alien race dubbed Worms.

Both Yuka and Sayuri turned down an alley in hopes of escaping the monsters, but were horrified to see that it ended in a brick wall. Turning around, they both shrieked at the sight of the Pupaworms walking towards them with the hands/claws raised. Both girls trembled at the sight of the approaching monsters, seeing their lives beginning to flash before their eyes. They really didn't want their lives to end this way, but it seemed like the monsters weren't going to be deterred. It was…the end.

Suddenly, a gold blur shot into the alley and collided with the two Pupaworms, knocking them both into the air. The blur then shot up, seemingly knocking both monsters silly before vanishing again. The two monsters squealed/roared in pain as they dropped back to the ground before exploding in green fire. The two terrified schoolgirls gasped at what they had seen. Was it a miracle? An angel from above?

"**Clock Over!"**

Both girls looked up at hearing the mechanical voice. To their surprise, they saw someone standing on one of the fire escapes which were on a building next to them. It was a person in a black bodysuit who had metal bands around his shins and forearms. Around his waist was a gray metal belt with a gold centre which had three horns that looked like they were sticking out from the left side. His torso armor was gold, but looked like a beetle's shell with black lines as the creases. His right shoulder was covered with gold rounded metal while his left shoulder was covered in gold armor which looked like the horns of a Caucasus beetle. His helmet was likewise gold with large green eyes. Two gold horns were pointing up on the sides of his head while a third bisected his visor.

"Who…who are you?" Yuka asked timidly.

"Me? I'm just a wild horse. That's all you need to know," the man in the gold armor shrugged. Reaching to his belt, he tapped a square switch which was on the right side of his belt. "Clock Up!"

"**Clock Up!"**

With the cry of the digitized voice, the man was gone in a gold blur again. Left behind were two shocked and amazed schoolgirls who began thinking that a new fanclub was in order.

To Be Continued…

Next time on Journey Through The Decade!

Ranma: So…which Rider are we here to see?

Kabuto: Walking the path of heaven to one day stand over everything…

Kasumi: That's funny. The card doesn't match.

????: Worm!

Ramna: WHAT?!


	4. Kabuto World?

**I do not own Kamen Rider Decade or Ranma ½. Those belong to their respective creators and not me!**

**Journey through the Decade**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**Chapter 4: Kabuto World?**

Kasumi and Ranma were both traveling down the streets of this world's Tokyo as they tried to gather some clues as to the Rider of this world and possibly what kind of threat that they would have to face being in that world. So far everything seemed to be relatively peaceful. There didn't seem to be any kind of threat facing the people and there wasn't even a hint of any kind of Rider around to fight that supposed threat.

"Ranma? Do you have any idea which world we're on?" asked Kasumi.

"Not sure," Ranma answered. "I didn't recognize the Rider in the mirror immediately."

"I think he was the one you fought those cocoon monsters with back home," Kasumi pondered.

"You think?" Ranma blinked. Pulling out the Ride Booker, Ranma opened it and began shuffling through the cards that were inside of it. Still, the only cards that had pictures on them were the Decade cards and the Faiz cards. The rest were all either blank or grayed out. It took a few moments, but Ranma finally found the Kamen Ride card that he had used to save Kasumi with. "Here we go. The name's gone and the image is grayed out through. I don't know who it is."

"I think your belt called it…um…Caucasus, if I recall properly," Kasumi answered, trying to recall despite the terribly stressful situation she had been in at the time.

"Caucasus," Ranma frowned. "It doesn't ring a bell to me. Maybe we'll see who he is while we're here."

"Maybe," Kasumi shrugged. "In the meantime though, let's see what's going on in this world."

Ranma nodded in agreement as he looked to the street. Taking his fingers into his lips, Ranma let out a long whistle. He didn't know why he did it, but he knew that it would do something. Sure enough, when the whistle ended an engine roar replied to it. Looking down the street, Ranma spied the Machine Decader race up to him with no Rider and a pair of helmets waiting on the seat. Passing one to Kasumi, the pair mounted the bike and Ranma took off with another engine roar. Kasumi only had time to gasp 'oh my' before the pair disappeared down the road and into traffic.

--TIME BREAK—

Kasumi and Ranma made their little ride through the streets of Tokyo and didn't find anything unusual. If anything, things seemed to be too normal. If Kamen Riders were supposed to exist in this world, then what were they fighting against? Where were the monsters which Riders were usually facing off against? It just didn't make sense.

Driving through a park area, Ranma reached the top of a hill where the scenery of Tokyo was at its best with Tokyo Tower rising in the distance. It had been a long drive, but all the extra space was certainly worth it. Turning off the ignition, the pair got off the vehicle and headed onto the grass. The area was rather peaceful and it seemed that things were okay. At least it would allow both Ranma and Kasumi some space and time to think for a moment.

"This is nice," Kasumi smiled as she seated herself on the grass.

"I guess," Ranma shrugged, looking over the scenery. "Still, knowing me, the other shoe is probably going to drop sometime."

"Ranma, that's just silly," Kasumi retorted.

"HELP!"

"Told ya so!" Ranma frowned as he heard the cry. Leaping off in the direction of the cry, he went to assist however he could.

Running down the side of the grassy hill, Ranma found where the source of the cry had come from. It was a girl who looked to be in her mid teens with shoulder-length dark hair and average clothes for someone her age. Next to her was a bike which was on its side and a sketchpad with drawings of some small creatures on them. Both items were on the ground since she was struggling to get away from her attackers. In this case, the attackers were kaijin.

There were four of them and they were covered in a green chitinous armor. They seemed to be similar in shape to cocoons or pupae of some kind. Their right arms had long red claws which almost scraped across the ground as they lumbered towards the terrified girl. Their chests looked like slits in the cocoons with skeletal insect-like arms poking out with their faces being covered by said arms. The monsters chattered in a frenzied insect language as they came closer to the girl.

"Pupaworms," Ranma frowned as the information came into his mind. Pulling out the Decadriver, he attacked it his waist where it secured itself with the silver strap. Reaching to the Ride Booker he drew the Decade card before opening the Decadriver. "Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!"**

The nine symbols of the Heisei Kamen Riders appeared around Ranma before they shifted into body images and overlapped him, forming his suit. The red panels then emerged from his belt and fused to his helmet, filling the armor with color. His eyes flashing green as the armor activated, Decade leaped into the fray. He instantly targeted the closest of the four Pupaworms as it brought up its clawed arm in preparation of attacking the teenage girl in front of it.

With a swing of his arm, he smashed his fist into the Pupaworm's side, knocking it into the rest of them and sending them tumbling before landing before the girl. "Go, run!" Decade shouted to the girl who was stunned by his appearance. Frowning, Decade called for assistance as he spied Kasumi arriving to the scene. "Get her out of here!"

"Hai!" Kasumi ran to the girl as Decade distracted the Pupaworms. "Please, come with me," Kasumi said as she took hold of the girl's arm and dragged her away from the fight. The collected Pupaworms snarled at the Kamen Rider in front of them as they got to their feet. Decade took it in stride as he dusted off his hands and reached for his Ride Booker, which he converted to Gun Mode and shot down the charging Pupaworms, bringing screeches and sparks from the impacts. He then converted it to Sword Mode as he pulled the handle back to align it with the stripe on the Ride Booker's cover as the blade unfolded from the other end. With a shout, the Rider charged at the Pupaworms and began to hack and slash at them with his sword, while throwing punches and kicks at them for good measure. Seeing that the four Worms weren't about to give up, he reached inside of the Decadriver and pulled out a card.

"Time for some pest control!" decade smirked as he slipped the card into the Decadriver and shut it, bringing out the power of the card.

"**Attack Ride: Slash!"**

His weapon received the extra energy from the card, glowing red with energy. Taking the weapon, he charged at two of the Pupaworms who were on their feet and charging at him. Taking a running charge at the pair, they met in the grassy field and slashed widely, catching them both in the waist. The blade easily cut through them like butter, making them screech in agony before they exploded in colorful green fire with little to no remains left behind. The two remaining Pupaworms hissed and charged at Decade who scoffed at their attempt, and was quickly filing Pupaworms as the weakest Kaijin he had faced thus far. Taking his blade, he thrust it forward and buried it into the chest on one of the two, sending it to oblivion in another blast of green fire.

The remaining Pupaworm hissed and stepped back from Decade, who was holding the Ride Booker over his shoulder. The Rider from another world walked towards the trembling Pupaworm as he decided to taunt it a little, "Well? You gonna try your luck? Your buddies sure didn't last long."

The Pupaworm hissed angrily as its trembling increased. Decade it first thought that it was afraid, but he was quickly proven wrong. The Pupaworm's body began turning red as heat rose from it, so much that Decade could feel it from where he was standing. Steam hissed out from the joints in the Worm's armor. Suddenly, the Pupaworm's flesh began to slide off its body with wet plopping noises as it hit the ground. Decade thought he might barf from the sight as the Worm molted its old skin so to release a new form.

This new Worm was covered in brown armor with its shoulders extending like shoulder armor. It had gossamer orange wings extending from its forearms, back, and chest like they were a robe of some kind. The robe look was only enhanced as the back wings covered part of its legs like a robe would while the armor near its neck looked like a turned up collar. Its head was smooth with grooves running across its surface with deeper grooves acting as eyeholes for it to see through and another groove for a mouth. The armor on its legs, specifically its shins to feet, gave an appearance like boots as the new Worm tested out its new feet. No longer was this a Pupaworm, this was a Bellcricetusworm.

"Oh damn," Decade grimaced, slowly realizing what had happened. "I forgot they could do that."

The Bellcricetusworm snarled at Decade even as mucus dripped off of it's newly revealed from. Decade prepared himself for the fight as he tried to guess how the new Kaijin would fight him and what new abilities it might have. The Bellcricetusworm snarled some more before it suddenly blurred and vanished from sight. Decade blinked in confusion as to what happened when suddenly he was hit from the side by an invisible force. "Agh!

WHAM!

"Ow!"

BAFF!

"Ugh!"

CRUNCH!

"Oof!"

He felt a final hit from the invisible force hit his stomach and he was sent tumbling into the dirt with considerable force. The impact knocked the Decadriver from his waist, undoing the change from Decade back to regular Ranma Saotome. However, his outfit had changed again. He was sporting a button up shirt which had a silver Chinese dragon pictured across its surface. His pants were in fact black cargo pants and he was wearing sneakers. The button up shirt was wide open revealing a black shirt with the Decade symbol over his heart. Strapped to his wrist was what seemed to be a very stylish watch which easily took the tumble which Ranma was forced to experience.

Grunting, the pigtailed martial artist got to his knees as he tried to get the stars out of his head. Looking to where he had been standing, he spotted the Bellcricetusworm return in another blur. It buzzed in its language before walking towards Ranma at a leisurely pace. It knew that it had the Rider now; it just had to savor the victory like Ranma had been with the Pupaworms.

"Grandmother said this: a brave man fights an opponent who possesses abilities he does not, but a wise one learns how to beat those skills before the battle even starts."

Ranma and the Bellcricetusworm heard the voice and turned to see who it was. Walking towards them was a man who seemed to be in his early twenties, if not just reaching them. He was wearing a leather jacket with a smooth button up shirt underneath which had stylish designs on them. His jeans were black and he wore a pair of shoes which looked expertly polished. His hair seemed to be messy, but it fell perfectly into place. Around his waist was a metal belt which looked like a rather advanced piece of technology. Despite the serious of the situation, the man's hands were in his pockets as if he were taking a simple stroll.

"Ranma!" a second voice cried out, making the pigtailed boy snap to attention as to see who was calling his name.

The one calling for him turned out to be a man who was probably close to the age as the first. Unlike the first man, this one seemed to be in slight panic from the situation, but he managed to keep his cool. His hair was short, but neat and he was wearing a suit which made Ranma think he might have been pair of a government establishment of some kind. What was odd about him was that he was wearing a metal belt which seemed similar if not identical to the one the first man was wearing. He was running towards the scene, but his eyes were trained on Ranma rather than the Bellcricetusworm.

"Are you okay?" the man asked as he slung Ranma's arm over his shoulder and helped him to his feet. It did confuse Ranma for a moment, but he wasn't about to argue about getting some help, especially against a monster like the Worm he was facing.

"Just caught me by surprise," Ranma grunted as the man helped him away from the immediate battle area. He let off another grunt as the man put him on a nearby bench which was safely away from the fight.

"It must be tough then," the man frowned. It only held for a moment before it turned into a confident grin. "Don't worry; your sempai will handle it from here!"

"Sempai?" Ranma blinked, but the man was already charging back to the scene of the impending fight where his friend had stopped walking and was just staring at the snarling Bellcricetusworm.

"**Standby!"**

Ranma looked up as he heard two mechanical voices cry out at once. To his surprise, he saw what seemed to be two mechanical beetles flying through the air towards the two men who were facing the Worm. One looked like a red rhino beetle with a golden horn and button-like legs while the second seemed to be a blue stag beetle which had gold button-like legs and highlights along its pinchers. The two machines swerved through the air before diving down towards the two men. The stylish guy caught the rhino beetle in his right hand while the suit guy did the same with the stag beetle. Both then raised the little machines up before calling out, "Henshin!" before they slid the machines into the centre of their belts, turning them into buckles.

"**Henshin!"**

Hexagonal fields spread out from the belts of the two men, covering them in suits of armor. The first man was covered in a black bodysuit which had metal around the feet, thighs, and shins. The torso was covered in thick silver box-like armor which had red accents on the chest. The shoulders were large and rounded with a red symbol which looked like a red rhino beetle with the word ZECT on it. His arms were covered in segmented metal which was made for protection, but allowed movement at the same time. Even his hands were covered in the thick metal. His helmet was mostly silver with a large blue visor and a metal horn which was attacked to the forehead and was shaped like a V.

The second man was donned in a similar black bodysuit with bits of metal on his knees, thighs, and shins. His torso armor was large and thick, but with blue accents near the collar and abdomen. His shoulders were also box-like, but had a pair of large guns mounted on them which had a blue stag beetle symbol with the word ZECT on them. His arms were covered in segmented metal along with his fingers, allowing protection and mobility at the same time. His helmet was covered in blue steel with short horns that resembled stag beetle pinchers and two large red eyes which seemed to be slightly covered by the metal of the helmet, but not enough to inhibit his vision.

"I don't believe it," Ranma blinked in surprise at seeing the transformation. "Kabuto? Gatack?"

(Begin Kamen Rider Kabuto opening theme)

_**Kimi ga negau koto nara subete genjitsu ni naru n' darou **_

_**Erabareshi mono naraba**_

_**Bousou hajimete 'ru sekai wo moto ni modosu ni wa mou **_

_**Jikan ga nai**_

The Bellcricetusworm snarled and waved its arm. Suddenly, the ground seemed to explode in showers of dirt as several more Pupaworms erupted out of the soil. The Bellcricetusworm then waved its arm, signaling the numerous Pupaworms to go forward and attack. The green insect aliens were all too eager to comply as they charged towards the pair of Kamen Riders. Their claws were raised as they all snarled in their chirps and buzzes of their language, anticipating victory over the pair of armored humans.

_**MOVING FAST Kokoro no tokei ni hashirase ashita no sono saki e**_

Gatack moved first, taking a few steps forward in front of Kabuto. Bracing himself, he activated the shoulder mounted guns which were part of his arsenal and opened fire. Shots rang out as several casings hit the ground as Gatack unleashed his salvo onto the advancing Pupaworms. The beasts shrieked and cried out as they were hit by the numerous rounds from the twin Vulcan cannons which their opponent wielded. The gunshots proved just as deadly as they looked as several Pupaworms which were at the front of the mob exploded into green fire.

_**Kimi no tonari tatakau tabi umarekawaru**_

_**Me ni mieru SPEED koete 'ku MOTION**_

_**Ittai jibun igai dare no tsuyosa shinjirareru?**_

_**Kousoku no VISION minogasu na**_

_**Tsuite koreru nara...**_

Kabuto wasn't idle as his fellow Rider was shooting away at the numerous Pupaworms. Striding forward confidently, Kabuto faced off with some of the remaining Pupaworms which were charging at him. The red Rider didn't seem to care as he drew a gun-like object which seemed to have an axe blade on the grip and three targeting lasers on the barrel. Raising the weapon, he fired at the advancing Pupaworms with precision and confidence. Three of the Pupaworms exploded in green fire just from the initial shots alone while the others kept their charge. Getting too close for the gun to shoot, Kabuto lightly tossed it, catching the barrel of the weapon and using the gun grip as an axe. He slashed with it, catching a Pupaworm in the head and making it explode into green fire. More and more Pupaworms met the same fate as the red Rider dug his blade into their hides.

_**Hikari ga sagashite iru atsui kumo no aida kagayaku**_

_**Erabareshi mono dake wo**_

_**Kimi ga souzou shite 'ta mirai ga arukidashita michi ni**_

_**Mirai wa nai**_

The Bellcricetusworm snarled in anger as the Pupaworms were cut down so easily by the two Riders. Deciding to take matters into its own hands, it charged forward. As it moved, it turned into a brown blur which was almost impossible to see to the untrained eye. Gatack was hit by the invisible force and sent tumbling as sparks rained down from his armor. Grunting as he hit, Gatack spied that Kabuto was under a similar assault as several invisible blows struck him before he too was thrown to the ground by the Bellcricetusworm. Kabuto and Gatack, both being used to being hit with such attacks, managed to get the slight disorientation out of their heads before they got back to their feet.

_**TAKE A CHANCE kokoro ga motome-tsuzuketa shunkan koko ni aru**_

Reaching to his belt, Kabuto pushed lightly at the horn of the beetle which stood as the buckle, unlocking it. Energy sparked from the device and danced over his armor, loosening it. The Torso armor came loose, revealing something red in the gaps while the shoulders, arms, and even the helmet around his visor did the same. All of it came loose as the energy continued to crackle over its protective metal surface.

"Cast Off," Kabuto spoke stoically before he pulled the horn, placing it on the opposite side of the beetle's body, letting the centre open.

"**Cast Off!**"

As the mechanical words were spoken, the thick silver armor of Kabuto seemed to explode off of his body. The pieces flew in all directions, impacting almost everything around it. The pieces all impacted against trees, the ground, and even the Bellcricetuswom if it had still been going at a regular speed. Ranma himself had to duck to avoid the pieces of metal which flew towards him. Looking up at Kabuto, he noticed that the Rider had changed.

His armor was much smaller now, made for speed rather than power. The chest armor was a deep red which looked like a beetle's abdomen. The shoulder armor was likewise red, but hugged the body closer and was smooth and rounded. Bits of silver metal ran down his arms, for minimal protection, but it kept to the theme of speed. His helmet was now completely red save for the blue visor. As the thicker armor came clear, a horn which was similar to a rhino beetle was revealed to have been hidden under the chest armor. With the outer armor gone, it folded up onto his face, bisecting the visor as the eyes flashed.

"**Change Beetle!**"

_**Dare mo inai jikuu hitori shinka shite 'ku**_

_**Mitaiken eria de hajimaru riaru**_

_**Zettai jibun dake ga kono jidai wo kaete yukeru**_

_**Saikyou no LEGEND minogasu na**_

_**Tsuite koreru nara...**_

Gatack took the event as a signal as he too reached down to his own belt and unlocked the pinchers of his own buckle. Enerfy raced up his body as the chest, arm, and head armorallloosened. Even his Vulcan cannons became loose and ready to fall apart as the pieces of metal came loose. When it all came loose, he called out "Cast Off!" before opened the pinchers of his buckle so that they touched the sides of its body.

"**Cast Off!**"

The armor then exploded from Gatack's body, revealing a thinner set underneath it. The chest armor resembled that of a beetle's abdomen, but was blue with yellow accents in the creases. The shoulder armor was blue and box-like with silver rounded parts underneath and more silver armor along the length of the arms. Mounted on the shoulders was a pair of blades which seemed to be styled after stage beetle horns. The helmet was more black and silver rather than blue as the red eyes were revealed. With the thicker armor gone, a pair of blue horns styled after stag beetle horns which folded up and attached to the sides of his face.

"**Change Stag Beetle!"**

_**Kimi no tonari tatakau tabi umarekawaru**_

_**Me ni mieru SPEED koete 'ku MOTION**_

_**Ittai jibun igai dare no tsuyosa shinjirareru?**_

_**Kousoku no VISION minogasu na**_

_**Tsuite koreru nara...**_

The Bellcricetusworm appeared again for a moment, apparently upset at the change in the pair of Riders before it charged off again in another blur of speed. Neither Kabuto nor Gatac were worried though. Ranma could tell by their stances that they were more than used to their enemies moving that fast. Reaching to the sides of their belts where a square panel was placed, they both slapped the panel as they called out, "Clock Up!"

"**Clock Up!**"

Ranma had only blinked, but then the two Riders had vanished in blurs of red and blue. He tried to use his ki senses to figure out where they were, but all he got was the sensations was that they were everywhere. Looking around, he saw pieces of the ground suddenly explode as if something hit it or was skidding across, leaving tracks in the dirt. A nearby tree groaned as some of its branches suddenly fell with indications that they were cut with a very sharp weapon. The pigtailed martial artist was beginning to feel like a sitting duck as what he was sure was a battle was going on at extreme speeds all around him.

_**Dare mo inai jikuu hitori shinka shite 'ku**_

_**Mitaiken eria de hajimaru riaru**_

_**Zettai jibun dake ga kono jidai wo kaete yukeru**_

_**Saikyou no LEGEND minogasu na**_

_**Tsuite koreru nara...**_

"**Clock Over!**"

The high speed brawl suddenly ended with the mechanical cry. Gatack reappeared near Ranma, panting as if he had been struggling to catch up with something while kneeling and using his swords as a support. The Bellcricetusworm was on its back several feet away, chittering in what appeared to be a groan. The indent in its chest armor indicated that it most likely suffered a hard hit to the chest. A few feet in front of it, Kabuto was standing calmly with his back turned to the Worm in question. Ranma was in complete confusion as to what had just happened, but he wasn't about to interrupt. As the enemy Worm managed to get back up to its feet, Kabuto reached to his belt and began pressing the gold button legs of his buckle.

"**One, Two, Three.**"

Kabuto then pressed the body parts of his buckle together before he reset the horn. He was seemingly unconcerned as the Bellcricetusworm was getting back to its feet and was snarling at Kabuto from behind. The alien being then began running at Kabuto, too tired and/or injured to attempt moving at the speeds it had been running at before. Again, Kabuto seemed to be wholly unconcerned.

"Rider Kick!" Kabuto called, yanking the horn of his red beetle buckle for a second time.

"**Rider Kick!**"

Energy crackled over the belt as more of it charged through Kabuto's horn, making his eyes flash brightly. The energy then seemed to course down to Kabuto's right leg as he turned his head slightly to see the oncoming Worm. When the Belcricetusworm was close enough, Kabuto went into a powerful roundhouse kick which hit the Worm's head, knocking it silly and pushing all of the energy the armor had collected into its body. The Bellcricetusworm screeched in pain as it spun through the air and fell to the ground in a twitching mess. The Worm then exploded in a mass of brown fire which quickly burned itself out. Kabuto said nothing as he stood over the blackened earth where his foe once stood. Instead, he looked up at the sky and pointed towards the sun like some kind of message.

Grunting, Ranma managed to get back to his feet. At the same time, Gatack and Kabuto reset the little machines on their waists and removed them. The two insect-like machines buzzed into the distance as their suits collapsed into hexagonal pieces and retuned to their belts. The government guy immediately hid his belt under his jacket and began running over to Ranma while the other just continued to stare at the pigtailed martial artist.

"Ranma, you okay?" the government guy asked as he checked Ranma over for injuries. "That Worm didn't beat you up too badly, did it?"

"Uh…just knocked me for a loop," Ranma sighed. "I wasn't expecting it to molt so quickly and it moved at Clock Up before I could do anything about it. I'll be fine."

"Ah, that's good," the government guy grinned. "Hiyori would be pretty upset if something happened to you. I think you're getting pretty close to getting that date with her. You lucky dog!"

"I…am?" Ranma blinked. What was this guy taking about? Who was Hiyori?

"Kagami," the first guy spoke at long last, getting the government guy and Ranma's attention. "I'll take Ranma home to see about any wounds. I'm pretty sure that you're going to be late for your shift at the bistro unless you start moving now."

"Huh?" the man assumedly known as Kagami blinked before he looked down at his watch. His eyes widened in horror when he saw what time it was. "Oh man! I am going to be late! I gotta move!" Panicking, Kagami let go of Ranma and made a dash in one direction. The pigtailed martial artist watched him go. It really made him wonder if he really was a Kamen Rider. Shrugging at the thought, he turned around only for the first man to grab him by the lapels of his shirt and push him back against a tree with his forearm pressed against his neck.

"Ow!" Ranma grunted, gripping the man's forearm but it just pressed harder, cutting off more airflow.

"Who are you?" the man asked with a frown and narrowed eyes. "You look like Ranma, but you aren't him. You aren't a Worm either. Who are you?"

"I am Ranma," the Rider from another world gagged, trying to breathe. He had been caught completely off guard by this guy's attack. It wasn't something which happened often. "I'm not the one you know. I'm not from this world!"

"Explain," the man frowned.

"Not here," Ranma grunted. "Someplace more private?"

"…fine," the man agreed, finally letting the pigtailed martial artist go. "It you are a Worm though, I will destroy you."

"Duly noted," Ranma gasped, trying to get his breath back.

* * *

Kasumi finally came to a stop from her running with the girl who Ranma had saved. Both of them had gotten a considerable distance from the battle and needed o stop and take a breath. Aking a look at the girl, Kasumi finally managed to see what she looked like. In most aspects, she seemed to be a girl who most would consider plain. She had short dark hair which almost reached her shoulders and she was wearing just regular clothes which wouldn't stand out. She was actually attractive, but she didn't do anything to accent it or stand out. In all, she seemed like the kind of person that no one would really notice with the way she dressed.

"Are you okay?" Kasumi asked as both she and the girl got their breath back.

"Y-yes," the girl nodded, looking up to Kasumi. "Who are you?"

"My name is Kasumi Tendo," the older girl smiled warmly.

"Tendo?" the girl blinked. "Are you…related to Souji Tendou?"

"Souji…Tendou?" Kasumi blinked, trying to recall if such a person was part of her family. After a few moments of thinking, she recalled one such name, but not a relative. The name belonged to a man, one of many who told Ranma about his mission to the Rider Worlds. "Um…I have heard that name, but he's not a relative."

"Oh," the girl nodded. "I just thought since you had the same last name…"

"I would have asked the same thing," Kasumi smiled. "May I know your name?"

"My name is Hiyori, Hiyori Kusakabe," the soft spoken girl replied.

"It's nice to meet you Hiyori," Kasumi smiled softly. "Do you have any place you'd like to go to? Being attacked by monsters is something of a traumatic experience. I should know."

"I'll be fine," Hiyori answered. "It's a bistro I work at. If you'd like, we can go there and make something. I suppose you can consider it a thank-you for helping me."

"Then I should be thanking you," Kasumi giggled before both girls began walking again.

The two girls chatted as they walked down the street. Kasumi had learned that Hiyori had lost her parents early during what was called the Shibuya Meteor Strike. Apparently, seven years ago a meteor fell from space and destroyed Shibuya. The area was deemed a loss and hadn't been considered worth rebuilding. That was also when strange monsters started appearing like the ones that had appeared to attack Hiyori. Not everyone was in the know about them though. The former Shibuya had been sealed off apparently because that's where the concentration of the monsters was found. Everyone else thought that it was because the area was too unsafe. The incident at the park wasn't the first time Hiyori had been attacked by these monsters so she had more knowledge on them than most people did. How she knew about the newly dubbed 'Area X' was something the young woman didn't want to talk about.

In Kasumi's eyes, Hiyori was a depressed young woman who was still mourning over her parents. She didn't seem to have the mindset of a girl her age normally would. After dealing with the likes of the Wrecking Crew, Kasumi learned how to spot people with problems a mile away. Of course, it made it easier to notice them when they always came at the dojo with everything they had looking for Ranma more often than not. Still, she hoped that there was someone out there who could help the young woman with her troubles.

As the two young women were walking towards their destination, someone turned the corner and almost bumped into them. At first Kasumi was about to apologize for the inconvenience, but that was before she got a good look at who they almost bumped into.

"Ranma-kun!" Kasumi gasped.

Indeed it was the pigtailed martial artist that Kasumi had recalled leaving behind to fight the Worms. He was donned in some very stylish clothes which had a Chinese dragon printed on a button up shirt with a black t-shirt underneath. He had black jeans on and very nice shoes along with what appeared to be an expensive watch on his wrist. On the front of his t-shirt was a symbol over his heart which looked like an atlas beetle with the word ZECT printed on its shell.

"K-Kasumi?" Ranma paled as he spotted the eldest Tendo daughter. His eyes then turned to the young woman next to her. "Ah…h-hi Hiyori."

"Hello," the young woman bowed slightly. However, it didn't escape Kasumi's notice that she was trying to keep her eyes averted from Ranma's. Maybe it was her imagination too, but she could have sworn that here was a pale redness to Hiyori's cheeks before her hair began hiding them from sight.

"So…what are you two doing here?" Ranma asked, still looking like he was surprised about something.

"We were just going to the bistro where Hiyori works," Kasumi smiled.

"I can make you something too," Hiyori offered the still stunned Ranma. "You did save me."

"Uh…I…," Ranma blinked. He seemed to be terribly confused about something to Kasumi, but something might have happened during the fight that may have surprised him. It wasn't all that unusual and Ranma didn't like to talk about even half of the fights he had been in unless something he considered to be cool happened. Swallowing, Ranma managed to finish his sentence. "I'd like that. Anything you make is great Hiyori."

"Good," Hiyori nodded, but her put her face lower before she grabbed Ranma's arm and began dragging him in the direction he had been coming from with a giggling Kasumi in tow.

* * *

"So, who are you anyway?" Ranma asked as he and his captor/interrogator walked down the street.

"A universal treasure," the man smirked before he began pointing up to the sun. "I am the man who walks the path of heaven and will one day stand over everything. Souji Tendou."

"Ah," Ranma nodded. The name sounded familiar, but he could ponder that later. Maybe it was the same reason why this guy seemed so familiar.

The pair of Riders turned a corner and walked up to a rather impressive house. It had brick walls and very decorative windows with white curtains. Outside the polished wooden door was a simple sign with the kanji making up the word Tendou. It was more than enough to tell who lived in this house.

"Nice house," Ranma breathed as Tendou walked up to the front door. "Way nicer than the dojo."

"Your other self thought so too," Tendou nodded as he entered through the door. "Tadaima!"

"Okaeri nasai Onii-chan!" a female voice answered before a girl skipped into the main hallway. She was pretty cute in Ranma's opinion and had dark hair which was in two ponytails. She was dressed in a school uniform which might have meant that she just got back from school or just didn't feel like changing out of said uniform. She had a cute smile on her face as she welcomed her older brother home. "How was your day Onii-chan? Did you-Ah! Ranma-kun!"

The girl's face turned pink as she spotted Ranma coming in behind her older brother. She was stunned silent for a moment before she gasped and looked down at herself. "Auuu! I can't believe I'm still wearing this at home! Onii-chan, you should have warned me! I have to go change!" With that, the girl dashed out of sight as her footsteps faded into the house. Ranma just blinked as he looked at Tendou for some kind of explanation.

"My sister, Juka," Tendou explained as he untied his shoes and removed them before he slipped his indoor slippers on. "She's infatuated with the other you. She doesn't know about what we do as Kamen Riders and I intend for it to stay that way as long as possible." He then stood up and cast a glance at Ranma. "Will you keep it a secret?"

"Y-yeah," Ranma nodded. This guy was serious!

"Good," Tendou nodded. "Come in. I'll get snacks ready."

Ranma nodded as he removed the shoes he wore and put on a spare set of indoor slippers. As he stepped deeper into the house, he found the main living area to be painted white with very modern decorations, giving it an urban feel. Near the right side of the room was a living area where a couch was and even further was the kitchen where Tendou had already brought out some food and was beginning to make the promised snacks.

"So…are the other me and Juka…" Ranma began.

"If you were a Worm you'd already know that," Tendou answered. "To answer, they aren't. Although Juka would probably be happy with the idea, the other you hasn't earned enough respect from me to be able to date her. Just like he hasn't earned the right to date my other sister yet."

"So…how do you know the other me?" Ranma asked in curiosity.

"We met when I heard there were Worms infesting your home district of Nerima," Tendou answered as he set the ingredients to cook. "I went to destroy them and found him doing fine on his own. He had somehow gotten a Rider system which I didn't know about and had activated it."

"Sounds…kind of vague," Ranma grimaced as he stepped closer to the kitchen to see what was being made.

"Sit," Tendou spoke, pointing at the couch. Ranma knew that there was no room for argument in his voice and decided to comply. He wasn't about to risk good food out of simple curiosity. "If you want the whole story, I suppose I can answer."

--FLASHBACK--

_Tendou walked through the Nerima district, eyeing each and every person that he passed. While he knew ZECT had their own means of tracking Worms, he preferred his own method, trusting his own two eyes. He had long since mastered the art of piercing the mimics which the Worms attempted to use to disguise themselves. He trusted his own instincts rather than a group of people who hadn't faced Worms personally before._

_This Worm had a certain taste, as some Worms usually did. It had been attacking martial artists, leaving a trail of corpses as it went. It was easy enough to follow, but very hard to actually find. In a district like Nerima, where you bumped into a martial artist regularly, it was a veritable smorgasbord for the Worm who hunted skilled people like the ones who lived here. No deaths had been reported inside the actual district yet, but both Tendou and ZECT knew that it was only a matter of time. It was the one thing that was common with all Worms. Time was never an ally when facing them._

_Walking past an Okonmiyaki shop, Tendou tried to find the tracks of the Worm which may be in the district. However, he was quickly interrupted when a crash echoed down the street. His eyes turned sharp as he dashed towards the source, assuming that it was a Worm._

"_RANMA! PREPARE TO DIE!!"_

_Tendou watched as a wall shattered before two teenagers dashed into the streets in a flurry of attacks. One was a young man in Chinese clothes who had black hair with a pigtail tied at the back. The other one was another young man who wore a yellow tunic with brown leather straps tied onto the ends of his black pants. He had short black hair and had a yellow and black bandanna tied onto his head. Both were fighting on a level Tendou had only seen the Riders go at each other at. It was very impressive for a pair of regular people, teenagers at that. Of course, that alone was testament to their skills since Tendou was rarely impressed._

"_Interesting," said Tendou as he stopped to watch the fight._

_Both teens were truly skilled. One was obviously an aerial style as he kept leaping everywhere to get an advantage over the other one. Of course, the boy with the bandana had the strength advantage if he was capable of breaking stone walls with just punches. As the fight progressed on, Tendou found that the pigtailed boy had a skill for using insults to make his opponents sloppy. It certainly gave him an advantage as the bandana boy thrashed about practically like a berserker, trashing anything he got his hands on in an attempt to strike his opponent._

_As the fight continued, Tendou noticed movement nearby. Hiding behind objects, but making sure to keep out of sight were two men in suits who had small radios attached to their ears. Tendou easily recognized agents of ZECT when he saw them. They didn't seem like Zectroopers since they didn't have the equipment, but they couldn't have been regular technician agents. For whatever reason (one that Tendou suspected he already knew) these two young men were being tailed by ZECT._

_The two young men seemed oblivious to the eyes following them, that or they didn't care, as they continued fighting in the middle of the street. However, things were beginning to happen that Tendou realized probably weren't going to be part of their regular day. A woman was walking towards the pair despite the fact that other regular people would have fled. She seemed to be in her twenties and was wearing expensive shoes with a denim skirt, white t-shirt, and a jacket which had fur lining the collar. She would have been considered attractive if it weren't for the sinister smirk on her face. As she walked closer towards the battle between the two, she began to…change._

_Her form seemed to melt away as a monstrous form replaced her. Replacing the woman was a masculine beast which had mostly black carapace covering its body. Bits of a neon green carapace were present on its thighs, chest, left arm, and head. A curious observation was its right had was several appendages wrapped around a neon green orb which was giving off faint amounts of light. The same could be said for its chest, which was also giving off the same glow. Its right arm was black with an unused appendage sticking out of it and its head was almost completely green save for its eyes, rectangular mouth, and bits on the top of its head. Tendou recalled fighting a Worm like this before in an amusement park not long after he first claimed the Kabuto Zector. This was a Worm known as the Lanpyrisworm._

"_What the?" the pigtailed boy gasped, being the first to notice the appearance of the Worm. He ducked under a punch from the bandana boy before grabbing the front of his tunic. "Ryoga cut it out! Look!"_

"_Huh?" the boy, Ryoga assumedly, blinked and turned to see the approaching Lanpryrisworm. "Oh man! Not one of those things again!"_

_That gave Tendou pause. The bandana boy had faced Worms before? And he survived to tell the tale? Now that was interesting._

"_Huh?" the pigtailed boy blinked._

"_I was wandering around…Hokkaido I think, when this weird cocoon thing tried to pick a fight with me," Ryoga explained as he produced a bamboo umbrella from…somewhere. "It turned itself into me and tried to fight me. It knew all my moves too. It couldn't do ki attacks too well though. I hit it with mine and it blew up in green fire."_

"_You don't say," the pigtailed young man snickered._

_Now Tendou was getting very interested. One of these boys had fought a Worm, granted a weak Pupaworm by the sounds of it, and actually won. If that was true then ZECT would have tried to recruit the young man immediately and try to train him into a Zectrooper if not a Rider. Judging from the fight he had seen, the pigtailed boy was in the same league, if not above, the bandana boy known as Ryoga. He knew he had a duty as Rider to destroy the Worms, but if these two could take on a Worm before it could Clock Up..._

_Suddenly, the street became alive with armored cars while the Lanpyrisworm snarled in agitation at the interruption. The back of the armored vehicles burst open as armed Zectroopers exited and began forming a line between the two young men and the Worm which had targeted them. Tendou just sighed as he hid himself behind a corner. ZECT was still after him to try and reclaim the Kabuto Zector. He wouldn't give it up without a fight. Still, he had been looking forward to seeing how the two young men would have fared against the Worm if the bandana boy's claim was true._

"_Such ugly creatures," a voice spoke up, causing Tendou to take a glance. Out from the lines of Zectroopers walked a man in a white suit with a gold ZECT symbol sewn into the lapel. In his hand was a blue rose that he held gently as he walked closer to the snarling Lanpyrisworm. Tendou assumed that it hadn't attacked by now out of sheer curiosity, or perhaps it was smarter than the average Worm. The man didn't seem to care as glared at the Worm in disgust. "The only things which deserve to be in this world, are the strong and the beautiful. Today I will prove that I am both."_

"_Ugh, another Kuno," the pigtailed boy groaned._

_The man didn't seem to hear the teenager as he undid the buttons on his jacket and opened it, revealing a technological belt which seemed to be a carbon copy of Tendou's own. The wielder of Kabuto narrowed his eyes on the machine. It appeared that ZECT had created a new Rider System, probably to deal with him and the one they saw as 'rightfully' theirs._

"_**Standby!**__"_

_A buzzing sound echoed through the air and as expected, a Zector came flying down from the air. This one was colored gold and had the horns of an atlas beetle decorating it. Dark green eyes flashed as the sun caught on the button-like legs on its sides. The flying machine buzzed down and landed in the white-suited man's hands before he looked up at the snarling Lanpyrisworm._

"_Henshin," was all he said before inserting the Zector into his belt._

"_**Henshin!**__"_

_Gold tinted hexagons spread out from the belt. As the change occurred, a black bodysuit with metal on the legs appeared. The torso armor was bulky and mainly silver with golden accents. His shoulders were rounded with three spikes each, both colored gold. Armored bands covered the entire length of his arms with golden triangles on each section. His helmet had a green visor and a gold mouthplate with a Viking-like appearance, sporting two bull-like horns and one rhino-like horn in the middle of the gray helmet._

_Tendou's eyes narrowed at the sight of the new Rider._

"_Now, you will see what beauty and power do together," the new Rider, Caucasus, spoke as he reached to his belt. He unlocked the three horns which rested on his belt. Electric bolts raced around the armor, causing the thicker pieces to become loose. When it was loose, he pulled the horns back. "Cast…Off." _

"_**Cast Off!**__"_

_The armor exploded off of Caucasus, striking the Lanpyrisworm and making it stumble backwards. The Rider's Rider Form had a golden chest not unlike a beetle's abdomen and his right shoulder was rounded with silver and gold accents. His left shoulder was adorned with golden horns not unlike those of the insect his armor was styled after. His helmet was gold as well, but three horns which were hidden under the thicker armor folded up, two on either side of his face while the last bisected his visor._

"_**Change Atlas Beetle!**__"_

_The Lanpyrisworm didn't seem all that impressed. Instead, it just seemed to become upset. Snarling loudly, it let off a screech which made everyone save for Caucasus clutch their ears in pain. As the Worm screeched, snarling sounds echoed from all around as Pupaworms began crawling out of the woodwork at the heed of one of their own. The Zectroopers instantly opened fire on the monsters, keeping them at bay while their bullets sparked off the green carapace hides. _

_Tendou frowned at the appearance of so many Worms. Already gripping the Kabuto Zector, he prepared to move._

_Caucasus, meanwhile, was smashing his fists against the Lanpyrisworm with equal grace and brutality. The force of the punches sent the insectoid alien staggering with each strike. An uppercut sent it flying. Caucasus snapped his fingers. "Weak and ugly…" He pointed his fingers at the Worm mockingly, "You don't deserve to live in this world."_

_Meanwhile, the Pupaworms had broken the lines of Zectroopers and were gaining ground fast. The bullets from the soldiers weren't as effective as they used to be and the blades hidden in their weapons were even less so. Still, they put up like real soldiers and fought to the bitter end. Several soldiers went down as the Pupawroms dogpiled them, intent on ending their lives and possibly mimicking them later._

"_Ahhhh!" one Zectrooper cried as a Pupaworm knocked his weapon from his hands before clasping his throat, aiming to kill him._

"_MOKO TAKABISHA!"_

_A golden sphere of energy crashed against the Pupaworm, knocking it backwards. The beast hit the ground in a heap before its body failed and exploded in green fire. The Zectrooper gasped, trying to get his wind back as he turned to see who had saved him. To his shock, he saw a pigtailed teenager and someone wearing a bandana who looked to be the same age actually fighting back against the Pupaworms…and winning!_

"_Raah!" he bandana boy roared as he smashed his (very heavy) umbrella against the Pupaworms, sending them sprawling in hissing pain. The Pigtailed boy was a flurry of movement as he smashed his fists and feet against the faces of the Pupaworms. The monsters went down hard as they were struck by the two teenagers. To the Zectroopers who were alive and/or conscious, it was a stunning revelation. Two seemingly average teenagers were actually fighting the Worms and holding their own!_

"_SHI SHI HAKODAN!" the bandana boy roared, sending a large orb of green energy out which collided with one Pupaworm and knocked it back into two more, causing all three to explode in green flames. Smirking, he looked to the pigtailed boy. "I got three in one shot! Beat that Ranma!"_

"_Easy!" the boy, Ranma, laughed. "Just don't get too mad when I pull ahead Ryoga!"_

_Caucasus was still proceeding to beat down the Lanpyrisworm with grace and brutality. The creature swung at his head, only for the blow to be blocked before receiving several punches in the gut. Groaning, the creature stumbled backwards as Caucasus reached to his belt._

"_**One, Two, Three,**__" the Zector spoke while Caucasus hit the buttons and reset the device._

"_Rider…Kick!" the gold Rider called before pulling the horns back again._

"_**Rider Kick!**__" Techyon energy raced through the Rider's armor, arcing between his three horns. The energy then raced back down to his leg before he charged at the stumbling Worm. Jumping up, he extended his leg for a kick which was aimed at the chest of his opponent. Gravity quickly took hold as the golden Rider came back down with his foot colliding against the Worm with a resounding crash and a rain of sparks. The Lanpyrisworm bellowed in pain as it fell back with tachyon energy crackling across its body. It shrieked loudly in pain before exploding into a haze of neon green fire._

"_Heh," Caucasus snorted. Turning to see the Zectroopers, he spied the two civilians fighting the Worms. "What is this?"_

_Ranma dodged a swipe from a Pupaworm before kicking it the face, making it stumble backwards. He smirked at how angry the creature was. Normally he'd be mocking it in some form or another, but he sincerely doubted that it would understand him. As he was about to attack it again, the strange monster began to blow steam from its joints as its skin turned red as heat rose from it. To Ranma's disgust, the monster's skin began to fall off in wet splats as a new form was revealed underneath._

_This monster was covered in blue carapace decorated with black spots. Out of its arms extended two blue appendages which seemed like insect legs. It's head was dome-like and covered with the same blue armor. More insect appendages extended from beneath that dome like hair. Part of its face was covered with gray plating, but it was hard to tell if it was seeing through the slits or its eyes were the slits. It was also chattering in an annoying tone as it eyed Ranma. The newly born Epilachaworm knew it had a worthy foe._

"_What the-?" Ranma gaped, but that was all he could get out before the monster vanished into a blur. Ranma suddenly felt the wind knocked out of him as something punched him in the gut and tossed him to the ground. Several cries of pain followed as he watched the soldiers in black get beaten down by some invisible foe. Grunting, Ranma tried to get up when he spotted the guy in gold armor who had managed to beat that other monster. The only thing was, he was walking away from the confrontation!_

"_Hey!" Ranma cried, getting to his feet and dashing to the gold fighter. "Where are you going? The fight's this way!"_

"_Why should I fight? The Zectroopers are weak and expendable. Not worth my time at all," said Caucasus coolly._

"_WHAT?!" Ranma gaped. "That thing is going to kill everyone here and you're saying it's not worth your TIME?!"_

"_It has proven itself strong," Caucasus shrugged. "Only the beautiful and the strong really deserve to be part of this world. If it proves itself weak, I'll destroy it then."_

"_Why you-!" Ranma snarled, feeling a level of rage he hadn't felt since the last time his father sold him out behind his back or when he fought Saffron. Clenching his fist, he lashed out and punched the armored man in the face. It didn't serve to do much except make him turn his head, but it seemed to catch his attention. "It doesn't matter if someone's strong or pretty, everyone deserves to live and be protected!"_

"…_oh really?" Caucasus snorted, before he grabbed Ranma by his shirt and lifted him into the air. "Then let's see whose conviction is stronger!"_

_Ranma growled as he stared into the uncaring green eyes of the armored man. He was pissed…no, beyond pissed. This guy seemed to believe the world revolved around good looks and being tough. That was nothing how the world really was. Everyone deserved to be protected and it didn't matter if they knew how to fight or if they were as pretty as Kasumi or as weird looking as Gosunkugi. Everyone had a right to be safe from harm. This guy was just an even worse version of Kuno! A pompous ass with no sense of reality!_

_An electronic beep sounded off._

_Suddenly, the Caucasus Zector reset itself and detached from the belt before flying away. The golden armor instantly vanished as the added strength it afforded one Issei Kurosaki failed and he had to drop the enraged pigtailed boy. Ranma smirked and plowed his fist into the man's face, making him stumble back with a grunt before a kick to the gut dropped him onto his back. Groaning, Issei attempted to get up before a foot on his chest forced him back down._

"_Looks like your toy doesn't like you anymore," Ranma frowned darkly, making Issei scowl. "If you aren't going to take that thing down, then I will!"_

_Grabbing the technological belt, Ranma ripped it from Issei's waist and in a swift movement, wrapped it around his own waist before the item activated._

"_Fool," Issei grunted as he was allowed to get up. "That device was meant for me! The most beautiful and the strongest! If it will not respond to me, then it will respond to no one!"_

"_We'll see," Ranma shrugged as he began running back to the battle._

"_**Standby!**__"_

_Ranma looked up to see the mechanical atlas beetle returning to the scene. Reaching up, he grasped it in his hand before bringing it back down to his waist. He had managed to see how the jerk had used it to transform. For once, copying someone wasn't so hard, "Henshin!"_

"_**Henshin!**__"_

--END FLASHBACK—

"He did rather well for someone who had the system for the first time," Tendou explained as he brought out a plate of snacks. "Of course, he did need my guidance to match the Worm in Clock Up speed."

"No doubt," Ranma sighed. His other self in this world seemed to be way more intense than him, or maybe it was because of Tendou's method of telling stories. It was hard to be sure. Still, now he knew a fair bit about how his other self fought Worms.

"Yes," Tendou agreed. "However, my apprentice is doing very well. He exceeded my initial expectations."

"Wait…apprentice?" Ranma blinked, his hand inches from one of the snacks.

"Grandmother said this," Tendou replied as he sat back. "The skills of a powerful person are meant for the world. Is it unthinkable that I would not take an apprentice so to give my skills to the world at large?"

"I…guess," Ranma shrugged. That sounded like good advice. After all, he believed that martial arts were to protect the weak and despite his confidence in himself, Ranma knew he couldn't protect everyone in the world. That's why he wanted to teach, so that people out there could learn those skills and protect even more people.

"Now that I have answered your question, you can answer mine," Tendou spoke, snapping Ranma out of his funk. "If you aren't a Worm then what are you?"

"That's…a long story," Ranma sighed. Picking up another bit of food, he decided to begin with a question. "First off, do you believe in alternate universes?"

Tendou arched an eyebrow.

* * *

Kasumi, Hiyori, and Ranma finally reached Bistro La Salle where Hiyori claimed to have a job as a cook. Kasumi easily recognized the place from when she and Ranma first appeared in this new Rider World. Ranma strode ahead and opened the door in a gentlemanly manner, which Kasumi found very endearing and Hiyori blushed slightly still. Obviously Hiyori was crushing on Ranma as she tried to hide it, but nothing escaped Kasumi's eyes. She just pretended that it did. It was cute in her mind, a crush at first sight.

Inside the bistro was a rather clean place with only a few tables and a visibly kitchen at the back. Kasumi found it quaint and very comfortable. It had a rustic charm that seemed to comfort anyone who decided to dine inside. Kasumi instantly pondered if there were cafes like this back home in her version in Nerima. Of course, she then quickly recalled why the best stores and cafes closed down. The Wrecking Crew and all of their spats tended to destroy a lot of property and not everyone could afford to repair it all.

"Take a seat," Hiyori gestured as she headed for the kitchen. "I'll start making lunch."

Ranma and Kasumi both took a seat at one table and enjoyed some comfortable silence. Still, was it just Kasumi's imagination, or did Ranma seem to be a little nervous for some reason? Well, he probably was a little nervous about a stranger like Hiyori being so affectionate, in her own shy way of course. Ranma's track record with meeting strangers never really turned out well. It usually ended up turning in a fiancé mess, a rival mess, some challenge, or a ridiculous challenge of some sort.

"So…uh…what brings you here?" Ranma asked with a grin.

"Well, after Hiyori-san and I escaped those Worms, we ran away and just bumped into you," Kasumi shrugged. "It was a little surprising to see you so quickly though."

"I guess I did leave kind of fast," Ranma chuckled weakly. He then froze as a terrible thought seemed to come to him. "Wait, you were attacked by-?"

Suddenly, the bell to the door went off as another customer entered.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

Ranma and Kasumi turned to the front door to see who had come in. The person turned out to be what appeared to be a high school student. He was in a simple pair of jeans with sneakers and a gray t-shirt on. His hair was short and black, like an average person's. In fact, he seemed to be the generic high school student that one would expect to fade into the background when compared to types like Ranma. Imprinted over the heart on his shirt was a black insect-like logo which seemed like a Hercules beetle.

"Hey, Kira!" Ranma waved, catching the young man's attention.

"Huh?" the boy, Kira, blinked. "Oh, hey Ranma. You on a date or something? Hiyori won't like that."

"It's not a date!" Ranma grumbled, sending a glare at the chuckling high school student. Huffing, he gestured over to Kasumi. "This is Kasumi Tendo. She's the oldest daughter at the dojo that I live at."

"You mean fiancée number one," Kira nodded.

"Yeah," Ranma nodded. "Anyway, Kasumi, this punk here is Kira Yagami. He's a friend of mine."

"More like one of the only ones who isn't out to kill you," Kira commented coolly as he walked into the bistro. "Anyway, do you know where Juka is? I've been meaning to ask if she's free but I can't find her at any of her usual hangouts."

"She's not here," Ranma replied, snickering. "Good luck asking if she's at home. Tendou's never going to let you date her."

"Just like you aren't going to get anywhere with Hiyori if you don't get his approval," Kira retorted with a grimace.

"He may be my teacher in a lot of things, but he doesn't control me," Ranma grumbled indignantly.

"Like to see you say that to his face," Kira spoke with a grin. That alone made Ranma's rebellious attitude vanish without a trace and replace it with a pale shudder. Kira just chuckled. "My point is made."

Kasumi watched the exchange with polite confusion on her face. Surely Ranma couldn't have met this young man in the short time they had been separated, and to be so friendly. Something strange was going on and for a moment Kasumi was just so confused. As she tried to figure out why Ranma was somewhat different, it suddenly hit her. How could she have missed it? The answer had been right in front of her. This wasn't the Ranma she had arrived with. This Ranma must be the native Ranma of this world!

"Oh my," Kasumi gasped softly.

* * *

"I see," Tendou frowned. "So you believe that this world, along with others, is going to fuse together and create a Rider War?"

"That's what it sounded like to me when I was told about it," Ranma shrugged. "Something big is happening in each Rider World and if it's allowed to continue then it'll lead up to the world fusing with all the others, bringing a beginning to the Rider War. That will just spell disaster for everyone involved. We both know how powerful Riders can be."

Tendou nodded in silent agreement. He was a prime example of how powerful Riders could become. "So, do you know what you must do in this world?" Tendou asked.

"Guess I have to find my counterpart in this world, work together with him, and save the world or something like that," said Ranma as he crossed his arms. "That's what it pretty much boiled down to in the last world I was in."

"Hope he's in a talking mood when he sees you," said Tendou.

"How come?"

"He'll think you're a Worm and attack you, and he'll have the advantage because of Clock Up," Tendou warned. "It isn't the first time that a Worm attempted to destroy him by mimicking him and attempting to take what was his."

"Well, I've always said I was the best. Maybe fighting another me won't be so bad," said Ranma cockily.

Tendou gave a chuckle of amusement. There was nothing different between this Ranma and his disciple. They were both suckers for a challenging fight. Being Riders was probably the best challenge that they could hope for. Of course they were the exact same person, just dimensions apart.

"So, can you tell me about Worms and where they come from?" asked Ranma. "I mean, I know what they are and some of their generic abilities, but not much about their origins or something like that."

"They came from space," Tendou began. "Seven years ago a meteor crashed in Shibuya, destroying the district. Inside of the meteor however were the first Worms…"

* * *

"Okay…which way to the Tendo Dojo?"

Ryoga Hibiki readjusted his backpack as he took in the scenery. He seemed to be on a street somewhere in a city he didn't recognize. Were this the Ryoga Hibiki that came from the world that Decade came from, he would have been smashing walls in an attempt to get to where he wanted to go quicker. However, there was a considerable difference between this Ryoga and the one that lived in the Decade Ranma's home world.

"Okay, Sensei said to never waste my skills on little things like being lost," Ryoga muttered as he felt the temptation to start smashing through enter his mind. "I always get there eventually so why not enjoy the scenery a little? Maybe I'll see something I recognize."

A soft buzzing noise caught his attention and he looked up to see a flying mechanical beetle hovering down to eye level. It was bronze with dark green eyes and had a curious set of horns which marked it as a centaurus beetle. Its green eyes flashed as it buzzed, as if speaking to the Eternally Lost Boy.

"Oh, you know which way to the dojo?" Ryoga grinned. "That means we're close, right?"

The beetle buzzed and began flying away in a certain direction. Of course, it was slow enough so that Ryoga could easily keep up. In the days since Ryoga had met his metallic friend, he had a lesser chance at being lost than he usually did. Somehow, his metallic beetle was able to show him where he needed to go no matter where he was. The only times he could get lost is if he failed to pay attention to the small machine and wandered off.

The robotic beetle was his partner and companion when he went on his many travels. It was also his lifesaver. He fondly recalled the day he received his small metal bug friend.

--FLASHBACK---

_Ryoga stumbled through the path, feeling kind of tired after his trek through the mountains. He was pretty sure he was in Hokkaido somewhere. Still, he didn't see anything remotely familiar. So maybe if he managed to find someone he'd ask for directions. After being lost for so long, Ryoga was far from too prideful to ask for directions from strangers. For some reason when he said that out loud, women would slap their boyfriends and/or husbands upside their heads and ask why they couldn't be more like him. It certainly made Ryoga blush, surprised to find that there was something about him girls liked._

_Finding a door (I.E. smashing through a wall when he wasn't paying attention) Ryoga found himself standing in the middle of what looked like an underground parking garage of some kind. At the very least he was in a city so that lifted his spirits somewhat. Maybe there was a security guard around he could ask for directions. However, the last time he asked a security guard it turned out the guy was a gaijin who said he was in Washington. He didn't know that the Americans managed to name a city in Japan after their capitol._

_Walking past a very nice car, Ryoga started hearing gunshots in the distance. Frowning, he charged towards the sounds. While his sense of direction was without a doubt very lousy, as long as he could see his destination or hear sounds he connected to that destination, he had no problem in finding it. That was how he kept finding Ranma half the time. He could recognize his cocky voice a mile away._

_Dashing past a column, Ryoga blinked in surprise as he saw two black vans releasing several men in black suits with bug-like helmets. They had machines on their wrists which looked like bug abdomens that were responsible for the bullets. What they were shooting at was what gave them pause. It looked to be some kind of spider monster. It was muscled with spindly arachnid legs coming from its shoulders. Its armor was striped with red and blue while its face had blue eyes and a circular mouth filled with teeth. Its hands were tipped with sharp insectoid claws and it was snarling, showing no care as the bullets from the soldiers sparked across its hide. _

_The Arachneaworm snarled at the soldiers who tried to defeat it. They were a mere annoyance to it. Perhaps if it had been a simple Pupaworm then they would have stood a chance. Still, they were dedicated drones. They didn't quit and they certainly didn't stand down. At least they had that credit to their techniques. Growing tired, the Arachneaworm moved into Clock Up and sped out of sight. The Zectroopers hadn't been able to stop shooting before being attacked by an invisible force, striking them with bone-shattering force. The trained soldiers were all sent flying before the Arachneaworm appeared again, seemingly pleased with the pain it had caused._

_Ryoga frowned sternly. The creature was dangerous and as a martial artist it was his duty to fight anything that would threaten innocent people. Putting down his pack and umbrella, he shouted, "Hey! You!" as he pointed at the Archneaworm. He then charged at the monster and aimed to smash his fist into its face._

_The monster vanished._

_Ryoga's fist sailed through open air before he felt something pound against his side. Grunting, he stumbled a few steps before turning around. There he found the monster staring at him in what seemed akin to confusion. Ryoga had to admit that the monster could punch, so much so that he could even feel it. However, he was used to taking blows like that and it would take a lot more of them to bring HIM down!_

"_Hah!" Ryoga cried, leaping at the spider monster again. The beast snarled and vanished again before he could punch it. For the second time, Ryoga was hit with blows that he could actually feel. Grunting from the pain, he retreated to a pillar while he watched the spider monster reappear in a blur of red and blue. The beast snared at him while clenching its fists. It wasn't just confused now, it was downright irritated._

"_How is it able to move that fast?" Ryoga wondered to himself._

"_It's called Clock Up," a voice answered._

_Ryoga turned to see a man leisurely walking out of one of the vans. He was wearing a black suit and black gloves and had black hair along with a moustache. He had an insufferable arrogant smirk on his face. It seemed that he was finding something amusing about watching Ryoga fight the monster after all of the soldiers got the tar beat out of them. The monster itself seemed again curious as to the new arrival to the scene of the battle._

"_The metabolism of the Worms allow these creatures to move at speeds we can't see with our eyesight," the man continued as he stood next to Ryoga. "To defeat them, you need Riders."_

"_Riders?" asked Ryoga._

"_Warriors trained to handle beasts like these," the man snickered as he retrieved a high tech-looking belt and wrapped it around his waist. "A battle that I will stand supreme over all in."_

"_**Standby!"**_

_Ryoga looked up when he saw a bronze metal beetle crash through the ceiling and drop into the man's hand. Gripping it, he brought it to his belt and locked it in place with a cry of "Henshin!"_

"_**Henshin!"**_

_Bronze tinted hexagons spread out from the buckle at the command. Ryoga watched in amazement as the man was donned in a high tech suit of armor. It reminded him of that time he and Ranma got mixed up with the monsters and he got that gold suit out of it. The man was donned in a black bodysuit with a thick metal torso armor which had bronze designs around the collar, down the chest, and around the arms. His shoulders were bronze orbs with three horizontal studs sticking out from the sides with an insect logo printed on the left shoulder. His arms were covered in circular pieces which had bronze lines running down them. The helmet was a metallic gray with three horns sticking from the brow like a crown. The visor was a sky blue which somehow allowed the user to see out, but no one to see in._

"_Now," Kamen Rider Centus chuckled. "Let me show you the fruits of my training."_

_Gripping his fist, Centus charged at the Arachneaworm with a battle cry. He lunged and planted punch after punch on the creature. The Worm itself was quick to respond as it swung wildy at the Kamen Rider in retaliation. Sparks flew from the bronze tinted armor, but Centus gave them little heed as he continued his brawl against the enemy. Off on the sidelines, Ryoga was left gaping at what he was seeing. Despite having seen it before…once, it was still rather amazing._

_Hearing groaning, Ryoga saw that several of the men in black outfits were getting back up. Apparently they had been knocked silly from the impacts and were just woozy from it didn't take them long to get their senses back though. Seeing the Kamen Rider and the Worm in battle, they immediately grabbed their weapons and took careful aim. Ryoga actually flinched slightly when he saw the machine guns go off, impacting against the Arachneaworm when Centus was out of the way. However, the Kamen Rider was anything but pleased._

"_Don't interfere!" he bellowed as he punched the Worm away. Reaching to his belt, he unlocked the horns on his buckle, causing energy to crackly around his armor, making the heavy plating grow loose. He then yanked the horn to the opposite side of the buckle with a cry of, "Cast Off!"_

"_**Cast Off!"**_

_The armor then exploded from Centus' body, flying in all directions. Several pieces struck the Worm, causing it to stumble backwards from the impacts. However, more of the flying bits of metal impacted against the troops who were trying to combat the Worm. They cried out in pain as they were sent flying backwards, landing on the ground in heaps. Ryoga, being as tough as he was, merely swatted the few bits of metal that had been flying towards him, knocking them out of the air. Looking to Centus, he saw that the armor had changed._

_His torso armor was now completely bronze and styled to look like a beetle's shell. His right shoulder was bronze and rounded while the other shoulder was likewise bronze, but looked like the horns of a Centaurus beetle. Metal strips were on his arms and wrists, offering lightweight protection. His helmet was completely bronze save for the blue visor. Underneath the chest armor had been a hidden horn which rose up and attached to Centus' face, making his eyes flash as the centaurus beetle horn was firmly attached._

"_**Change Centaurus Beetle!"**_

_Chuckling, Centus charged at the reeling Arachneaworm, ready to dish out more pain. Ryoga could just gape at the callous disregard of his own soldiers. While Ryoga did tend to sometimes forget that other people might be around while he fought, he didn't consciously disregard their safety like this guy was. It only cemented Ryoga's view that this Kamen Rider guy was just as dangerous as the monster! People were getting hurt and this guy was just adding to the problem! Pooling his depressions, Ryoga cupped his hands together as his green ki began to collect in his palms. He needed to stop both of these guys before someone got killed!_

"_Shi Shi Hakodan!" the lost boy bellowed, launching the orb of energy at the Rider and Worm. The blast collided with both fighters in a rain of sparks, pushing both to the ground. Ryoga didn't give them time for either of them to recover as he gripped his umbrella and charged at the Worm. While he wasn't as swift as Ranma in numerous ways, Ryoga could still see plenty of things quickly when it came to fighting. He knew the monster could move at very high speeds, fast enough to not be seen anyway. So how to deal with it was simple. Make sure the monster couldn't run. If it couldn't run, it couldn't use its high speed attacks._

"_Prepare to die!" Ryoga bellowed as he leaped at the monster, aiming to take it down with a single blow._

_The Arachneaworm wasn't one to take attacks on its form lightly. Especially by ones it had thought to be no threat in the first place. Snarling, it scrambled up to its knees, launching a stream of webbing out of its mouth which firmly encased Ryoga's arm and his umbrella. The lost boy grunted, feeling just how tough the silk strands were. Still, he had one remaining arm free. Tearing off several of his headbands, he pumped his ki into them, turning them as stiff and sharp as steel before launching them at the spider-like monster. The cloth shurikens did their work as they dug into the Arachneaworm's hide, making it squeal as it cut the lengths of webbing it was producing so it could try and get away._

"_No!" Centus snarled, shakily getting back to his feet. He wasn't used to dealing with attacks like the kind the boy had hit him with before. No one was going to steal his rightful glory! Especially not some kid with an outdated umbrella! Pushing a wounded member of the Zectroopers away, he began running for the battle. He was the Kamen Rider and he was the one destined for power and glory! Not some stupid kid!_

_Charging at the battling boy and Worm, he prepared to attack by jumping into their air for a flying punch. He didn't care of the boy got in his way. It was his own fault for getting in the way of destiny. If he was killed in the crossfire, well, the Worm could be blamed for it._

_A metallic chirp echoed through the air._

_The Centus Zector suddenly reset itself before detaching from the belt and flew off into the air. The Centus armor disassembled and vanished, leaving Tetsuki Yamato vulnerable as gravity found a tighter grip on him as he crashed to the ground. Grunting, he hit the ground as his belt fell a few feet from him. His mind was seeing stars, but he was also absently wondering…why? Why had he been rejected?_

_Ryoga rolled under a swipe from the Arachneaworm when he spotted the belt lying on the ground and the man who used it trying to get back up to reach it. Recalling what said device did for Ranma, the eternally lost boy dove for the metallic belt and scooped it up into his arms. Turning to face the monster, he wrapped the item around his waist and let it lock into place, adjusting to his size._

"_**Standby!**__"_

_The buzzing of the robotic beetle returned as said bronze beetle dove towards Ryoga with all its speed. He easily plucked it out of the air before looking to the Worm again._

"_Here goes," he sighed before locking his new partner in place. "Henshin!"_

"_**Henshin!**__"_

--END FLASHBACK—

Ryoga remembered that fight with amusement. He sure taught that monster a thing or two. Of course, he didn't know what happened to the guy who had worn the belt before him. He had never seen the guy again after that day even though he had run into ZECT time and time again. Maybe he got demoted or something. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he returned his gaze to his partner who he thankfully hadn't lost as he was led to the Tendo Dojo. Maybe if he was lucky Ranma was off trying to woo that Hiyori girl again. Since having been forced to train alongside Ranma under their sensei, Ryoga had been forced to understand what Ranma was going through and finally realized that Ranma wasn't the womanizer he had come to believe him as. The fiancée brigade just didn't want to admit that they had blown any chance with him all to hell and especially didn't want to listen when Ranma tried to tell them that.

"Stop thinking about it," Ryoga reminded himself. "You'll just get yourself all wound up and lost again." Ryoga turned a corner as he tried to keep his temper from boiling over. As he was doing so, he bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry," the Lost Boy began to apologize but then recognized who he'd bumped into; Sou Yaguruma and Shun Kageyama. Both were donned in what could be considered punk clothes that were black with large trench coats that had a sleeves torn off. Yaguruma had short brown hair which despite his punk looks, he kept trimmed to a certain soldier standard. Kageyama seemed to be somewhat younger than his aniki with short black hair which seemed to almost be a bowl-cut.

Ryoga had been told stories about the pair after meeting them for the first time while fighting a Worm. Yaguruma and Kageyama both were part of an elite team of Zectroopers known as Shadow with Yaguruma being the leader. He used to wield the mantle of Kamen Rider Zabee before his failure to uphold his own beliefs led the Zector to abandon him and for Kageyama to replace him. Of course, repeated failures caused Kageyama to lose his position. Somehow the pair of them had teamed up with new Zectors and were pretty intent on getting payback on Kabuto and his friend Gatack.

"Not you two again…" Ryoga groaned, recalling who they were. History wasn't always pleasant with the two around. He had heard and seen them in action enough times to know that they were both trouble with a capital 'T'.

"Look who it is, Aniki," said Kageyama. "One of Kabuto's little disciples."

"Ah, so it is, Aibou," replied Yagurama.

Ryoga clenched his fists as the pair circled him. One was never really sure if they were going to pick a fight or if they were just having fun when it came to the pair. They were unpredictable at best and downright scary at worst. Ryoga hadn't fought either of them yet, but he wasn't looking forward to trying. Fighting Ranma was one thing since all you had to look forward to was being beaten up or humiliated, chances with these guys were that they'd try to kill you.

"We owe you for that little stunt," Yaguruma spoke darkly as he and his aibou met up behind the lost boy. "You've got some guts jumping us like you did."

"Huh?" Ryoga blinked.

"It makes sense though Aniki, we are out to get his sensei aren't we?" Kageyama chuckled.

"True, but we don't take attacks lying down," Yaguruma nodded. "Especially from kids."

"We retaliate," Kageyama smirked. "Hard."

"**Standby!**"

Ryoga quickly snatches his Zector out of the air when he heard that. Two grasshopper-like Zectors hopped into the scene before jumping up into their wielders' hands. One was green with a red centre while the other was brown with a green centre. Yagurumu grabbed the green Zector while Kageyama took the brown one. Ryoga frowned as he gripped his own Zector tightly. No matter who his opponent was, he would not back down from any challenge.

"Henshin!" they called as they activated their Zectors.

"**Henshin!**"

The familiar bronze armor of Centus engulfed Ryoga while two near identical suits did the same for Yaguruma and Kageyama. Both Riders wore black bodysuits while they had torso armor which had angled silver sections on the sides spreading to the centre of their armor. The outside color was a vibrant green for Yaguruma while a metallic brown was for Kageyama. Both had spiked shoulders which had a silver underside and their own color on the top. Both had colored strips of metal running down their arms or legs retaining their own colors. Both helmets were shaped the same, box-like with a horn coming from the forehead. Yaguruma had eyed eyepieces with a gold mouth guard with his green helmet while Kageyama had a gold mouth guard, silver eyes, and a metallic brown helmet. The only real difference besides colors was that Yaguruma had a gold grasshopper-like brace on his left leg while Kageyama had one on his right arm.

"**Change Kick Hopper!**"

"**Change Punch Hopper!**"

"Cast Off!" Centus cried, yanking the horn of his Zector.

"**Cast Off!**" the machine called out before Centus' Masked Form armor flew from his body, allowing his Rider Form armor to be revealed while its horn folded onto his helmet. "**Change Centaurus Beetle!**"

"Prepare for pain," Kick Hopper laughed as he and Kick Hopper advanced on Centus.

* * *

**Café La Salle**

"RANMA SAOTOME! KIRA YAGAMI! COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!"

"What the heck is that?" Ranma blinked as he and Kira looked towards the front door. It sounded like a megaphone of some kind, but why would people with that kind of equipment be after him? "Kira, you didn't do something to tick off the cops did you?"

"No. Seems like something you'd do," Kira frowned as he stood up to check the door.

"Oh my," Kasumi gasped in worry.

Ranma looked out the window to see what was going on and saw two pretty pissed off people. One of them was holding the megaphone. Behind them was a small group of Zectrooper who were armed. Traffic was being cut off on both ends by large black vans to keep civilians out of the area. ZECT was being damn series about the operation that they were undertaking.

Not one of them looked happy.

"Looks like…Tsurugi and Kamemaru are here and they brought a bunch of Zectroopers with 'em," Ranma reported, eyeing the group. "They don't look happy."

Indeed outside were indeed the two men named Tsurugi Kamishiro and Kamemaru Tokiya. Both were Kamen Riders under ZECT's employ and they were good at their jobs. Kamishiro had an aloof look on his face, understandable since he was the heir of a noble house in Japan. He had short brown hair and was wearing a white suit not unlike someone in his position would wear. He was more or less a mercenary in ZECT since he was paid per Worm he destroyed.

Kamemaru was a full member of ZECT and had been a member of Shadow before he was selected to become Zabee. He wore a simple black suit and had long dark hair which he kept tied up at the back. He had lucked out in gaining a Zector when a mission of Worm hunting turned out very bad. He had a personal vendetta against Worms and always took an opportunity to take them down. However, he didn't want to end up like his former commanding officers. Those guys were downright nuts now.

"Looks like they aren't coming out," Kamemaru sighed.

"Then we go in after them," Tsurugi shrugged. "I have better things to do than hunt down a pair of punks, even if ZECT is paying me for my trouble."

"Well, we were ordered to show no mercy," Kamemaru sighed a second time. "I don't think we have a choice."

"I don't believe in mercy anyway," Tsurugi snorted as he drew a purple and black mechanical sword. Kamemaru revealed a metal bracelet with a yellow strap wrapped around his wrist.

"**Standby!**"

* * *

Unknown to anyone, the impending battle at Bistro La Salle and the one already underway between Centus and the Hoppers were being watched. They were being broadcasted on monitors being viewed by three select men. They found amusement in seeing the odds stacked against those inside the bistro and the ones against Centus when he was put against the rogue Riders.

"Destiny is on our side."

"We'll show them who the TRUE Riders are."

"We will prove the strongest while the peons simply tear each other apart."

Their dark chuckle echoed in the room they were watching the battles through.

To Be Continued…

Next time on Journey Through the Decade!

Zabee: Surrender or we will crush you!

Caucasus: We didn't do anything!

????: It is time to claim our destines!

Narutaki: Decade, you will be destroyed here!

Decade: I'm getting sick of this!

* * *

A/N: For those of you who are wondering, I am using Caucasus instead of Kabuto as the main Rider to honor an old fic I was a big fan of from Kamen Rider Chrome. It's called Ranma: Chronicles of Caucasus. Those of you who are fans of my story Kamen Moon Rider will recognize Kira Yagami and Kamemaru as well. Kamen Rider Centus is a brand new creation you won't see anywhere else.


	5. Caucasus World!

I do not own Ranma ½ or Kamen Rider Decade. The only things I own are Kamemaru, Centus, Hakabuto, and Kira Yagami. I own nothing else in Kamen Rider Kabuto.

**Journey Through the Decade**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**Chapter 5: Caucasus World!**

Kasumi and Hiyori were both sheltered inside Bistro la Salle as the two young men who had been chatting with the eldest Tendo sister stepped outside. Moments ago, squads of soldiers known as Zectroopers rolled up demanding that Ranma Saotome and Kira Yagami surrender themselves without conflict. Kasumi wasn't the only one who was confused as to what was going on. Hiyori was likewise wondering what was happening, not to mention the two young men who had stepped out to deal with the situation. As it was, with dozens of trained soldiers aiming automatic weapons at them, it didn't look good.

And that was without the two Kamen Riders who were staring them down.

Both were Riders native to this world, but they were in their Rider Forms, having Cast Off almost immediately after transforming. The first Rider was donned in a black bodysuit with a metal belt bearing the generic logo of ZECT and had metal strips on his arms and legs. His torso armor was striped black and yellow, designed to look like the abdomen of a wasp. His shoulder pads stuck out and were white, most likely to look like the wings of a wasp. His helmet was black and yellow striped with large dark eyes and a trio of stones set in his forehead. The last decoration were a pair of horns/antennae which stuck out from either side of the trio of stones. Adorned on his wrist was a machine which looked like a hornet, but the stinger was facing towards his fist and the abdomen had extended, making it look as if it were a wrist mounted dagger. This was Kamen Rider Zabee.

The second Rider was in his Rider Form as well. Like his compatriot, he was donned in a black bodysuit which mad a ZECT imprinted belt and metal strips on his arms and legs for lightweight protection. His torso armor was styled to look like a purple scorpion with the sides being its silver legs. His shoulders were styled to look like its claws, being bigger than the average Rider's armor in Rider Form, but offering greater protection. His helmet was mainly purple save for the silver mouth guard and large green eyes. Extending from the top of his head was a horn styled to look like a scorpion's tail, and it likewise acted as such should the wearer wish it to. Gripped in his hand was a thing, but strong sword which was black, orange, and purple which had a metallic scorpion attached to the hilt. This was the soldier of fortune known as Kamen Rider Sawsword.

"What's this about Tsurugi? Kamemaru?" Ranma asked with a frown as he and Kira stood in front of the restaurant. "What's the big idea bringing all these Zectroopers?"

"The deal is we're taking back ZECT's property," Zabee answered as he and Sawsword stepped out from behind the numerous Zectroopers. "I only let you guys be since you were all fighting Worms like the rest of us, but now it seems that's not true anymore."

"Huh?" Kira blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"What we're talking about is you two and your bronze friend blatantly attacking Riders and Zectroopers," Sawsword replied, hefting his sword over his shoulder. "It seems that you three have gone rogue, or are in fact Worms trying to eliminate us all with the technology."

"Either way, we'll be taking the Zectors from you," Zabee added, raising his arm, letting the Zectroopers get their weapons ready to fire.

"But it wasn't us!" Kira cried out, trying to defend himself.

"Forget reasoning! Move! They're serious!" Ranma cried, pushing Kira to the side, hoping that the Zecttropers wouldn't open fire and accidentally hit someone inside of the bistro.

"After them!" Zabee barked, pointing at the two fleeing young men.

The Zecttooper's broke into a chase after the pair, intent on chasing them down. Zabee and Sawsword hung back, being there only if the two young men decided to transform. Still, this mission was leaving a bad taste in the wasp Rider's mouth. If Saotome and Yagami were indeed guilty as his superiors insisted, the why hadn't he pair transformed and fought back? It would be easy to take on all of the Zectroopers with the Clock Up System. Saotome was a supposed martial arts prodigy too so taking on two Riders might not have been outside his skill level. Despite the overwhelming evidence, something just did not feel right to Zabee.

* * *

"Hyah!" Kick Hopper roared, aiming a kick directly at Centus' head. The bronze Rider managed to roll underneath the blow, if only to avoid an attack from behind by Punch Hopper. Getting to his feet, Centus got some breathing room from the pair of rogue Riders.

"Just what the heck is your problem?!" he cried. "Why are you attacking me?"

"Don't pretend you don't know!" Punch Hopper snapped. "It takes guts to go at the pair of us, but don't think being brave will save you from our payback!"

"But I didn't do anything!" Centus cried out.

The Hoppers didn't appear to be in a listening mood as they both attacked with their trademarked punches and kicked. Both struck Centus in the chest, making him stumble backwards into a nearby building wall. Regular humans, even those in Rider armor, probably would be feeling the pain from a attack like that for a week. However, Centus wasn't a regular human and had undergone training which sent his endurance skyrocketing. As such, he had the wind knocked out of him, but he managed to recover.

"Fine! If you guys want to fight, then I'm game!" Centus growled, setting into his battle frame of mind which he usually reserved for Ranma Saotome and Worms. Bellowing, he charged at the pair of rogue Riders, launching punches at them. The Hoppers twisted and ducked under the blows, but otherwise kept avoiding the blows. Normally they might have fought back while taking hits, but both of them knew how strongly Centus could punch and they weren't eager to see what kind of effect his blows would have on their armor.

Kick Hopper leaped over a punch which put a hole into a stone wall of a nearby building before unleashing a roundhouse kick which made contact with the side of Centus' head. The bronze Rider was again sent stumbling but before he could recover, Punch Hopper dealt him a series of punches which continued to make the world spin for the young Kamen Rider. With a final uppercut to his chin, Centus crashed against a parked car, groaning as he tried to get the world to stand still.

"Time for our revenge," Kick Hopper snorted as he pulled the legs of his Zector back.

"Hai Aniki," Punch Hopper agreed, doing the same.

"**Rider Jump!**" both Zectors cried out in unison.

Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper kneeled down slightly before leaping straight up. The tachyon energy from their Zectors already boosting their strength increased their jumping ability until they were high in the sky. As the leap reached its apex and gravity began to reassert itself, the legs of the Zectors snapped back into positions. This caused even more tachyon energy to flare over the bodies of the two Riders. The pulses of tachyon power surging into their preferred means of attack.

"**Rider Kick!**"

"**Rider Punch!**"

Both of the Hoppers came down from their high jump with either their fist or foot engulfed in tachyon energy. Centus could see the light of the attacks, even if the users were somewhat blurry. He could only think of one thing as the two Riders aimed their attacks at him.

"Oh crap."

BOOM!!!

* * *

BOOM!!

"Huh?" Kira blinked as he and Ranma landed on a rooftop. While Kira had no such skill as roofhopping outside of Clock Up, Ranma did and managed to carry him across several blocks. Both were taking a breather while the Zectroopers gave chase. Since neither of them were being attacked by invisible forces, it stood to reason that Zabee and Sawsword hadn't entered Clock Up yet. However, their rest had been suddenly abandoned when they saw the explosion in the distance.

"Worms?" asked Kira as he and Ranma eyed the explosion.

"Maybe," Ranma frowned. "But let's not take any chances."

"I'm ready when you are," Kira nodded, revealing a metal belt beneath his shirt.

"**Standby!**"

Buzzing echoed above the pair before two beetle-like machines dove down and into their waiting hands. One was a familiar gold Zector designed after an Atlas Beetle. The other was a silver Zector which had the horns of a Hercules beetle sticking from the front. Its eyes were glowing a bright green as Kira captured it in his hand.

"Henshin!" both young men called as the attached their Zectors to the metal belts around their waists.

"**Henshin!**"

Gold hexagons spread across Ranma's form, donning him in his Caucasus armor. The same happened for Kira as he was covered in silver hexagons which formed into his armor. As the energy faded, Kira was donned in a black bodysuit with silver metal covering his legs. His torso armor seemed more rounded rather than box-like and was covered in silver highlights around the shoulders and abdomen. A Hercules beetle version of the ZECT logo was on his left shoulder and his shoulders were rounded with two vertical bolts in the middle of them. Metal cylinders ran down his arms with silver strips running down them in a trio. His helmet was a dull gray with small horns rising from his forehead and chin. His visor was a deep red orb which allowed him a full range of vision.

Kira Yagami was Kamen Rider Hakabuto.

"Cast Off!" both Riders ordered, pulling the horns of their respective Zectors back.

"**Cast Off!**" the Zectors called as the Masked Form armor loosened before exploding off the Riders' frames.

As Hakabuto's armor was blasted off, his Rider Form armor was revealed. The chest was a shining silver which was like his friend's styled after a beetle's abdoment. His right shoulder was rounded with silver accents while his left shoulder was covered with a shoulder pad styled after a Hercules beetle. As with his comrades and teacher, a horn hidden underneath his outer armor folded up and bisected his visor, similar to the horn of the Hercules beetle.

"**Change Atlas Beetle!**"

"**Change Hercules Beetle!**"

"Let's go!' Caucasus nodded to his friend. "Clock Up!"

"Clock Up!" Hakabuto cried as both Riders slapped a button on the sides of their belts.

"**Clock Up!**"

In a flash, both Riders were gone.

* * *

Tendou and Ranma both saw the fireball not too far away from their current position. They had been preparing to head out and find his counterpart, (much to the reluctance of Juka who wished for Ranma to stay for a while) when they saw the portion of the sky light up. Tendou had already began racing for his bike while Ranma had but to whistle and his own raced to the scene. Mounting up, both Kamen Riders revved their engines and were gone in a flash.

Ranma followed Tendou since he knew the streets much better. Normally Ranma would have roofhopped, but the motorcycle did have a sort of allure to him. Besides, it could go faster than he could if he tried to run. Still, the speed alone was enough to give the pigtailed martial artist and adrenaline rush, but feeling that added onto an upcoming fight just made it double for him. This time, this time he'd show those Worms who they were messing with. No stinking Clock Up was going to beat him.

Racing to an intersection, Tendou and Ranma's journey was suddenly brought to a screeching halt as explosions began ripping up the road. Tendou hit his brakes and came to a screeching stop as Ranma did the same, spinning his bike around so to avoid letting his tires take a hit. Both Riders took a moment to get their heads straight before looking to see where the source of the attack was. Hey really didn't have to wait long before the source came to them.

"Hello Sensei," a voice spoke. "We've come to have some words with you."

Out from the smoke stepped three armored figures that were all donned in gold, silver, and bronze. All of them seemed to be styled after a beetle much like Kabuto was. In fact, save for the color and odd bits of decoration, they could have passed for doubles. The one in bronze had his right shoulder covered in what seemed to be the horns of a centaurus beetle, but the horns looked like they were bolted on. He wore a bronze helmet adorned with a pair of green eyes and centaurs beetle horns with a kind of smaller set between his eyes. Gripped in his hand was what seemed to be a Kunai like the kind Kabuto would use, but without the pieces needed to make it capable of shooting like a gun.

The second figure had a silver helmet with a large curved horn rising from the top and a smaller one rising from his chin. His eyes were round and a deep red, making him look somewhat intimidating. His armor was completely silver and bore a striking resemblance to the Kabuto armor Tendou wore but his right shoulder had Hercules beetle horns which seemed bolted together covering it. Gripped in his hand was a Kunai Gun which seemed large enough to double for an axe rather than a simple Kunai.

The final one, the leader, was donned in gold armor with atlas beetle horns covering his right shoulder. His visor was a pair of bright blue eyes while the centre was covered in a tall horn which doubled as a mouthguard with four slits in it assumedly for breathing. Sticking out from the sides of the helmet were two golden horns which stuck out. He stood with a casual grace, but both Ranma and Tendou could tell that the man was primed for battle and ready to go at a moment's notice. A tidbit that this Rider and his compatriots shared was the wrist mounted Zectors which were mainly black with horns styled after different beetles and colored in their owner's metallic shade.

To those who knew of them, they were Kamen Riders Aku-Caucasus (gold), Hercus (silver), and Ketaros (bronze).

Tendou frowned as he dismounted his bike and removed his helmet, "What do you want?"

"It's time we ended our learning under you," the gold Rider snorted in a voice that Ranma could have sworn was his.

"You have nothing more to teach us," added the bronze Rider in a voice that seemed to be Ryoga's.

"So we're going to graduate by ending you!" the silver Rider cried out, his voice unfamiliar to the pigtailed martial artist.

Ranma frowned, wondering who these three were. The gold Rider sounded like him, which meant he was his counterpart but Tendou didn't seem to believe that. The red Rider seemed to be largely unconcerned with the death threats if nothing else. Dropping his helmet to the ground, he stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and the three Riders who seemed intent on taking him out, "Grandmother said this, you cannot tell the taste of miso just by looking at it. You three may resemble my students, but I can tell you are not them."

"Denial eh?" the gold Rider laughed. "Well, let's teach you a lesson about reality then!"

"Just try it and you'll have to deal with me too!" Ranma called out, stepping forward. The Riders didn't seem too concerned abut him, but their attitudes changed when Ranma removed his own helmet, revealing his face.

"What the-?!" cried the silver Rider, his voice suddenly changing to that of a man. "How can he be here?! He's supposed to be running from ZECT!"

"No! He can't be here!" snapped the bronze Rider, Ryoga's voice likewise being switched for that of an adult. "Our plan hinged on him being chased by ZECT!"

"It doesn't matter," the gold Rider snarled, his voice also switching from Ranma's own to an adult's. "We were going to destroy Kabuto anyway. Might as well do it now."

The Riders gripped their fists/weapons and charged with a united cry. However, while Ranma moved into a combat stance, Tendou didn't move at all. However, he didn't need to when a familiar machine voice cried out, "**Standby!**" A familiar red Zector flew down from the sky and smashed across the faces of the three Riders. The machine then flew into Tendou's waiting hand as he stared down the three enemy Riders who attempted to masquerade as his students while he revealed his mechanica belt from under his shirt. At the same time, Ranma pulled out the Decadriver and attached it to his waist. Drawing a card, he held it up as he opened his device.

"Henshin!" the two men called, activating their means of change.

"**Henshin!**"

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!"**

Kabuto's armor spread over his body, finishing in his Masked Form. At the same time, Decade's armor forms around him from the nine symbols before the red panels ejected from his belt and attached to his face, finishing the transformation. Light flashed from their helmets, signaling that the transformation was complete. Kabuto then wasted no time in grabbing the horn on his belt and pulling it, allowing his armor to unlock, "Cast Off!"

"**Cast Off!**" his Zector echoed before the Masked Form armor exploded from his frame. The pieces collided with the three evil Riders, forcing them back, but somehow, not one piece even grazed Decade who stood at Kabuto's side. Kabuto's horn then folded onto his face, finishing the second transformation "**Change Beetle!**"

"What's with the brat's armor?" asked the silver Rider.

"It doesn't matter," frowned the gold Rider. "They both die today!"

The three Riders charged at the opposing two with their weapons at the ready. Hercus and Ketaros lunged at Decade while Aku-Caucasus picked Kabuto to be his target. Kabuto took the punches and kicks aimed at him in stride, blocking each one with practiced ease. Leaning back and avoiding a punch, he retaliated with a roundhouse kick which knocked Aku-Caucasus back. Growling in rage, Aku-Caucasus lunged forward again, pushing into a flurry of strikes which Kabuto defended himself against. To the red Rider, as long as he had faith, he would overcome anything just like his grandmother had told him so many times while he grew up.

Decade dodged a swipe from Ketaros' Kunai while he drew his Ride Booker. Holding it up, he blocked a strike from behind from Hercus' own axe. Pulling the black handle out from the base of the book, the silver blade extended, putting the Ride Booker into its sword form. Pushing against Hercus' axe, he pushed the silver Rider off balance before slashing at his torso, leaving a trail of sparks which made the Rider groan in pain. Decade didn't have time to get breathing room before Ketaros rushed in with a battle cry, forcing the dimensional Rider to roll to the sides.

TSEW! TSEW!

"Woah!" Decade cried, dodging silver bolts which put holes in the ground and whatever was nearby as Hercus shot wildly at him. Looking to the silver Rider, Decade went to an old standby of the Anything Goes, "Wow! No wonder you guys have to pretend to be Kabuto's students! You guys suck at being Riders! Trying to cash in on some fame are you?"

"What was that?!" Hercus snarled as he and Ketaros gripped their weapons.

"You'll regret even thinking of those words brat!" Ketaros growled, raising his kunai.

"Maybe when you guys actually get some skill instead of relying on your armor to win a fight," Decade shrugged, running his hand along his blade. "Care to prove me wrong?"

"YOU'RE DEAD!" the pair shouted as they charged at decade with their weapons raised.

"Jeez, these guys have a shorter temper than Ryoga," Decade sighed as he drew a card from his Ride Booker. Dashing forward, he rolled underneath the swipes of both Hercus and Ketaros while his Decadriver snapped open. Slipping the card inside, he shut the device as he turned to face the two Riders.

"**Attack Ride: Slash"**

Decade slashed horizontally, leaving a red afterimage of his blade as the impacts rained on both Hercus and Ketaros. The bronze and silver Riders cried out in pain as they landed on their backs, grasping their chest armor as they tried to still the pain. Decade hefted his sword over his shoulder, tapping the blade against his armor, "I'm not in the habit of killing people so what do you say you calm down? Otherwise I'll have to beat you guys down so hard your grandparents will be feeling it."

"Don't look down on us!" Ketaros growled as he got to his knees.

"You and the other two stole what was ours! We're going to take it back!" added Hercus

"Clock Up!" both cried, pulling switches which were located on the sides of their belts.

"**Clock Up!**" both belts called out before the two Riders vanished into thin air.

"Oh crap," Decade growled.

SLASH!

BANG!

BOOM!

BASH!

"AGH!" Decade cried as he was assaulted on two sides by a pair of Riders. The force of the extreme speed blows sent him sailing, crashing into a parked car in which the owner made tracks when the fighting started. Smashing against the car and breaking the windshield, Decade slid to the ground. Groaning, he managed to get back to his feet, but the world was spinning from the several impacts and he was feeling some pain. It would take a while for the bruises to heal, maybe about a day or so.

"**Clock Over!**"

"Well, looks like the kid can't Clock Up," snorted Hercus, hefting his axe over his shoulder.

"Hardly makes the fight fair doesn't it?" laughed Ketaros, tapping his kunai on his forearm. "Well, there's no helping it. The kid looks like he's in pain. Why don't we do the humane thing and just end his misery, what do you say?"

"Better make it in Clock Up," Hercus nodded. "That way it's quick and painless."

Decade groaned, but he managed to get back to his feet. No way was he going to let himself get taken down by this pair. Grumbling, he decided to give some of his new cards a spin. Reaching to his Ride Booker, he drew a card, "So you guys plan on fighting me with Clock Up eh? Then I'll just have to follow you guys or else I'm a goner. Henshin!" he tossed the card into his Decadriver before snapping it shut again.

"**Kamen Ride: Faiz!"**

Red photon lines spread up from the Decadriver, weaving a patter over Decade's armor. When the pattern was complete, there was a flash of light which forced Hercus and Ketaros to shield their eyes. When the light died down, the pair gasped in shock, seeing that their foe had changed form. Decade was no longer wearing the armor he had begun the battle in, he had transformed into the armor of Kamen Rider Faiz! The only way one could tell the difference between the Faiz of the previous world Decade had visited and the one currently in this world was that the Decadriver was still wrapped around the Rider's waist rather than the Faiz Gear which normally came with the armor.

"Neat trick," frowned Ketaros as he reached to his belt. "But I don't see how it'll save you from Clock Up!"

"Well then," D-Faiz chuckled as he drew another card and opened his Decadriver again. "Let me show you." He tossed the card into his belt and snapped it shut again.

"**Form Ride: Faiz Axel!"**

The red photon lines on D-Faiz' body flickered before turning a metallic gray. At the same time, his chest armor unlocked and moved on a hinge near his neck before repositioning itself on his shoulders as a new layer of armor. Underneath was a deep patter of circuitry with a yellow core which was glowing with power. The final change was of D-Faiz' eyes which flickered before deepening into a blood red color which signaled the completion of the change.

D-Faiz AF shrugged his shoulders as he raised his left arm, revealing a technologically advanced watch which had a timer on it glowing with red numbers. Reaching to it, he lay his finger on one of the buttons as he spoke, "Now, this should even the playing field a little." With a smirk under his helmet, he pressed the button.

"**Start Up.**"

"Clock Up!" Both silver and bronze Riders called, pulling the switches on their belts a second time.

"**Clock Up!**"

The effect was almost unnoticeable, but D-Faiz AF did notice it. Everything around him became almost perfectly still. A few birds hung in the air with their wings barely moving at all. The smoke in the air hung like fog without moving. The flames from the shots first made stood still as if frozen. Nothing made a sound and nothing moved. In fact, the only things moving were D-Faiz AF himself and his opponents Hercus and Ketaros. Still, there was no time to admire the effect. He had to jerks to take down and only ten seconds to do it. Thankfully when one moved at these kinds of speed needed to use Clock Up, ten seconds tended to last a long time.

"Told you I could Clock Up," D-Faiz AF laughed as he saw the two Riders flinch in shock. "Now let's get this started."

Using the speed which moving at Clock Up speed afforded, D-Faiz AF charged at the pair of Riders. Catching them off guard by using technology which wasn't related to theirs, D-Faiz AF managed to nail the pair of them with punches to the face. Skidding to a stop, he charged at the pair again, smashing them in the face with his powerful punches again.

"Come on! You're making this too easy!" D-Faiz AF teased as he charged again.

"Shut up you brat!" Hercus bellowed, firing his Kunai Gun again.

"Missed me!" D-Faiz AF laughed as he dashed past the blasts with ease. He was naturally fast to begin with and changing to Decade only improved that. However, with the power of Axel Form boosting him even farther, even the Riders who were used to Clock Up would have some difficulty in dealing with him. Gripping his Ride Booker in its sword form again, D-Faiz AF charged at the Riders yet again. Slashing at Ketaros, the bronze Rider managed to block before pushing the blade away and charging with his short blade, aiming to cut into D-Faiz AF any way possible. Experienced at sword play, D-Faiz AF danced around or blocked the blows before tripping up Ketaros, leaving him hovering in the air since even gravity was slowed down by Clock Up. Kicking Ketaros in the chest, D-Faiz AF launched him at his teammate who nimbly leaped over him.

Hercus shot at his opponent in close range, glancing a few blows on his shoulders or arms before switching his weapon to its blade form and hacking away, attempting to take his head. D-Faiz AF blocked the blows, Kicking at Hercus' side but seeing no immediate reaction as the silver Rider continued to attack. Blocking the blade, D-Faiz AF twisted around and elbowed his opponent in the back of the neck. Hercus stumbled and groaned, but got back to his feet and lunged again. D-Faiz AF twisted around the blow and kicked the silver Rider over to his teammate who was getting his senses back.

D-Faiz AF had to marvel at his opponents' lack of skill. They were powerful enough to be sure, but they were more brawler types than anything else. That alone was understandable since Worms didn't have much of a fighting style of their own either. Still, if one wanted to learn how to fight then they needed skill and technique as well as strength or else they were just going to tire themselves out and be prey to fresh opponents. Worms liked to fight with numbers on their side and weren't ashamed of pulling dirty tricks either. Apparently ZECT or whoever these guys worked for didn't push too hard for formal hand to hand combat training in their soldiers.

"I've had enough of this!" Hercus snapped, grabbing his Zector and twisting it so that the horns pointing towards his shoulder. Ketaros was quick to do the same as both of them cried out, "Rider Beat!"

"**Rider Beat!**" the Zectors both cried out as tachyon energy surged from their wrist devices into their weapons, making the blades glow brightly.

"Getting desperate?" asked D-Faiz AF as he drew a gold card with a phi symbol on it. Opening his Decadriver, he tossed the card into his belt. "I'm game then." He then shut the belt with a snap.

"**Final Attack Ride: Fa-Fa-Fa-Faiz!"**

A mass of red pixels shot out of the Decadriver before attaching to D-Faiz AF's right leg. The pixels then solidified, turning into the Faiz Pointer as a surge of energy traveled down the wearer's leg, charging the device up. Hercus and Ketaros didn't seem impressed as they gripped their own weapons which were glowing with the charged power which could eradicate Worms without a second thought.

"**3."**

D-Faiz AF dashed at the pair as the pair likewise dashed at him. Their weapons were primed and ready to go as they prepared to unleash the final blow in their little skirmish. When they got close enough they both leaped into the air. The bronze and silver Riders had their weapons raised for an overhead smash while D-Faiz AF had aimed for a kick with his leg extended.

"**2."**

There was a flash of red light as a cone of red energy was produced by the Faiz Pointer and aimed at the two Riders. The two rogue Riders prepared to bring their weapons down on their opponent once and for al.

"**1."**

D-Faiz AF hit the energy cone while Hercus and Ketaros brought their weapons down in a signature Avalanche Slash. The photon energy cone surged at the pair as their tachyon charged attacks made contact.

"**Time Out."**

BOOOOOM!!

Kabuto and Aku-Caucasus stopped their battle when the explosion sounded off. Turning to the source, they watched Hercus, Ketaros, and Decade drop to the ground in heaps of smoking armor. The bronze and silver Riders were groaning in pain, obviously not used to taking such impacts before. However, Decade was already struggling up to his feet. He was no stranger to pain. After having to deal with Akane's cooking and fighting the likes of Saffron and Herb, he had managed to get his personal endurance up pretty far. Something as little as being caught in a photon-tachyon charged explosion wasn't going to put him own. Maybe several explosions one after the other, but not one all by itself.

"Okay, that hurt," Decade grunted as he tried to get his balance. "But I still won."

"It seems you're on your own now," Kabuto spoke to his gold counterpart.

"Nnnnn!" Aku-Caucasus growled angrily before he pulled a switch on his belt. "Clock Up!"

"**Clock Up!**"

Aku-Caucasus vanished in a golden blur. The blur passed over Hercus and Ketaros, causing them to vanish along with their teammate. Kabuto relaxed his stance and turned to his fellow Rider who appeared to have gotten his bearings back, "Come on. We still have to check out where that explosion was."

"Right, right," Decade sighed, heading for the Machine Decader. "Something tells me that those three were involved in it though."

"I agree," Kabuto nodded, mounting his motorcycle. "Ikuzo!"

The motorcycle engines roared, allowing Kabuto and Decade to race towards the scene of the supposed battle.

* * *

Caucasus and Hakabuto were dealing with problems of their own. Zabee and Sawsword were on their case and as such the Beetle Riders were involved in a two on two match between Riders more experienced than themselves. In their attempts to reach the scene of the explosion that they saw, Zabee and Sawsword managed to catch up with them. At the moment, all four of them were fighting across a rooftop in Clock Up speed. Two were trying to defend themselves while the other two were intent on taking the first two down.

Caucasus was blocking Sawsword's swings. The Scorpion Rider was no brute. He had pride in his pedigree which shown in his elegant, yet deadly, swordplay. He knew how to hold a sword and use it proficiently. Caucasus himself could handle a sword too, but preferred to use his fists instead. However, that decision was beginning to haunt him as he continued dodging and blocking the blows with the metal which covered his arms. He had long since realized why Tendou saw this guy as a rival. He was good!

"You fight well," Sawsword complimented. "I can see why Tendou took you as an apprentice. Too bad I must eliminate you."

Zabee and Hakabuto were having a fist fight. They were like boxers in a ring and throwing punches that either hit, missed, or were blocked. Hakabuto may have been much more green than Sawsword, Zabee, and even Caucasus, but Tendou had put him through intensive training since he received the Hakabuto Zector. As a result, he learned how to fight very quickly. Unfortunately, Zabee, unlike his predecessors who were either freestyle or military minded, had trained himself in martial arts in preparation for fighting many foes at once who were stronger than him. As such, he knew how and where to move when he wanted to score hits. As such, he had a distinct advantage over Hakabuto, but the gap had shrunk compared to when the silver Hercules Beetle Rider had begun his task.

"I thought you three were okay despite ZECT's nagging," Zabee frowned as he caught a punch from Hakabuto. "Why'd you three suddenly decide to go rogue like the Hoppers? It doesn't suit you."

"We didn't!" Hakabuto snapped, pulling his fist free. "You've got it wrong! We didn't do anything! It's probably some Worms trying to mimic us or something!"

"Worms can't mimic Rider armour," Zabee retorted. "So either you guys have gone rogue, or Worms replaced those three kids and stole the Zectors. Either way, you have to be stopped!"

"Dammit!" Hakabuto cursed, blocking a punch aimed at his head, the stinger of the Zabee Zector inches from his face. He didn't want the business end of that thing stuck in him thank you very much! "Sorry, but we aren't relinquishing our Zectors!"

"Then I'll simply pry it off your cold, dead body," Zabee retorted.

That soooooooooooooooo didn't sound good to the teen.

Deciding to arm himself, Caucasus drew his Kunai and parried Sawsword's attack. Kabuto had long taught him to wield the small blade. Caucasus had an aversion to using guns or any weapon, but in order to protect himself he had to expand his horizons. He aimed a kick to Sawsword's chest and sent the purple Rider staggering back before thrusting the Kunai at Sawswod, only for the Scorpion Rider to dance out of the way and with a spin he slashed Caucasus across the side and his back. Grunting, Caucasus spun to deal a reverse roundhouse which Sawsword blocked with the blunt side of his sword.

Hakabuto too was armed, but with an Axe instead of a Kunai. He swung at Zabee. He really didn't want to hurt the Wasp Rider, but he really wasn't giving him much of a choice but to defend himself.

"You fight just as good as the original, Worm," spat Zabee.

"I AM NOT A WORM!" roared Hakabuto as he swung his Axe down, striking Zabee in the chest. He hated Worms. Worms were the reason his family was gone. Worms was the reason he was alone. And Worms would perish at his hands. But to do that he had to survive THIS encounter.

"**Clock Over!**" the extreme speed of the Kamen Riders ended as all four of them came to a stop to get some space from their opponents. Sawsword and Caucasus seemed to be almost enjoying themselves while Hakabuto was slowly losing ground against the more experienced Zabee.

Things were not looking good for the two teenage Riders. And they were about to get worse…

The sounds of insect-like chattering were the only warning the four Riders got before it happened. The two doorways which led to the lower floors of the building they were on suddenly burst open with loud crashes. Emerging from those doorways were numerous Pupawroms who quickly picked a target Rider and charged for an assault. Caucasus silently cursed as he kicked away his first opponent before tackling into the closest Pupawrom, sprawling into the group of them. Sawsword growled at the interference, but destroying Worms took priority over a few bad Riders. Gripping his sword, he charged alongside Caucasus into the fray.

"Damn!" Hakabuto cursed, slashing at a pair of Pupaworms who attempted to jump him. Sparks flew from their hides as they were knocked back. Zabee wasn't idle as he began punching away at several of the Pupaworms who had gone after him. Both Riders were intent on destroying Worms first before dealing with the possibility of enemy Riders. After all, the Worms were a confirmed threat against humanity as a whole. Rogue Riders were nowhere near as dangerous since they preferred to go against the Worms as much as they did other Riders.

"Just what we needed," Zabee grunted, punching a Pupaworm away while more converged on his position. "More Worms!"

Caucasus leaped over the trio of Pupaworms and roundhouse kicked them, knocking them all to the ground in a heap. They hissed and snarled, but were slow to get up. Their bulk worked against them in cases like this. Still, they had to be taken out fast. Looking to his silver companion, he called out, "Kira! Finish them fast before they molt!"

"Got it!" Hakabuto nodded, gripping his axe tightly. Charging forward, he raised his axe for an overhead strike which he sent down into a Pupapworm's head, tearing through the monster and making it explode in green flames, knocking its three friends back. Still, Hakabuto wasn't finished as he reached to his Zector.

"**One, Two, Three,**" the Zector called as its wielder pressed its metal button legs before resetting its horn.

"Rider Chop!" Hakabuto cried before pulling the horn again.

"**Rider Chop!**"

Tachyon energy charged up Hakabuto's body, crackling between the pair of horns he sported before surging down his arm into his weapon. Like his sempai Gatack, Hakabuto had two hissatsu attacks which he could employ to destroy Worms. His regular Rider Kick was one, or his unique Rider Chop which was employed by his axe. The tachyon energy charged up the axe blade, making it hum with the energy pulled into it. Charging at the Pupaworms, Hakabuto pulled the blade back before unleashing a horizontal cut which sliced through the three Pupaworms like they were butter. The Worms didn't get much of a chance to feel the pain before they exploded in green flames.

"Kid has the right idea," Zabee rowned, reaching to his wrist and pressing a button on his Zector. "Rider Sting!"

"**Rider Sting!**" Tachyon energy flashed through the Zector, concentrating into the stinger of the machine, making it shine. Charging forward, Zabee buried it into the gut of the first Pupaworm he reached. However, he didn't stop. Instead, he kept running, pulling the stinger out before reaching another Pupaworm and doing the same to it. Dashing from Worm to Worm, Zabee buried his attack into several making a grand total of five before the tachyon charge ran out. All five Pupaworms shrieked in pain before their bodies exploded, leaving only smoke and green flames behind.

"**One, Two Three,**" the Caucasus Zector called as its wielder pressed the buttons which doubled as its legs. Resetting the horns, Caucasus looked to a horde of five Pupaworms which were advancing on him. Despite the situation, he couldn't help but sigh in relief as he pulled the horns back, "Rider Kick!"

"**Rider Kick!**" the Zector echoed with tachyon energy bursting through the golden armor. Dancing around Caucasus' horns, the energy raced back down to his right foot as he charged at the advancing Pupaworms. Leaping into the air, he aimed directly at the leader of the merry bunch with his right foot extended. Gravity did the rest as Caucasus' kick collided with the first Pupaworm, knocking it back into its fellows as the Tachyon energy began spreading through them all. Back flipping onto his feet, Caucasus felt an odd satisfaction seeing the whole group go up in green fire and smoke.

"Hyah!" Sawsword cried, cutting through his own targets like a hot knife through butter. Unlike other Riders, Sawsword didn't feel the need to use his hissatsu system unless he was facing a superior Worm or was faced with overwhelming odds. This situation didn't cover either of those situations as he dispatched each Pupaworm that came after him with grace and ease. Wherever he went, a trail of green flames and smoke followed him, indicating his kill count.

With the Worms dispatched, now they could get back on track. Sawsword and Zabee glared as Hakabuto and Caucasus glared back. Fighting Worms together had not changed a thing. The two ZECT employed Riders were still on a mission. The four Riders were at a stalemate at the moment, knowing that fighting would just end up going on and save four Caucasus, they weren't prepared for a battle of endurance.

"Now, hand over your Zectors and surrender peacefully," Zabee ordered. He was really getting tired of this mission. Fighting against other Riders was never easy, especially when he had to go up against the likes of Kabuto whenever his superiors decided that they would give reclaiming the Kabuto Zector another chance. Although he wouldn't admit it where his fellow ZECT members could hear, the wasp Rider knew that Kabuto was the strongest out of them all.

"Hey, after all that, you still wanna arrest us!?" snapped Caucasus in disbelief. Wasn't trashing a bunch of Worms proof enough that they were on the same side?

"We can either do this the easy way or hard way, but you kids insist on doing things the hard way," said Zabee. "You two have abused the power of your Zectors and decided to turn the other Riders into your enemies. You're lucky that ZECT hasn't ordered your execution. Right now all you two have to deal with is incarceration. If you keep resisting then the execution order will be made!"

"I don't surrender," retorted Caucasus. "Especially when it's for something I didn't do.

"Then I guess it's going back to the hard way," Zabee sighed. He then charged with Sawsword in tow. The two elder Riders raised their preferred weapons and aimed to take down the younger Riders and complete their mission. Caucasus and Hakabuto raised their own weapons, taking the attacks head on. Hakabuto blocked Zabee's stinger by angling his axe while Caucasus gripped Sawsword's wrists. The two pairs struggled for a moment before the golden Rider looked to his silver counterpart.

"Kira! Let's get airborne!" he called out.

"Right!"

Keeping their grips on their means of keeping the elder Riders pinned, Caucasus and Hakabuto ran to the edge of the rooftop they were on. Being caught in the grips of their foes, Sawsword and Zabee didn't have much of a choice but to follow. Reaching the edge, all four Riders leaped off the top and ended up sailing through the air, releasing their grips on their foes. However, the Rider technology was more than capable of allowing them to land such leaps, especially off of rooftops so all four riders hit the concrete and were quick to recover, but it did serve the purpose of distracting the wasp and scorpion Riders albeit temporarily.

"Should we run?" asked Hakabuto, breathing somewhat heavily from all the action.

"Nah, they'd just follow us with Clock Up or something," Caucasus frowned. "No, we have to knock them out or something or they'll never sop chasing us."

"Great," Hakabuto sighed, seeing Sawsword and Zabee preparing for another round. Didn't anything stop these guys? What did ZECT Riders do for training?

Zabee and Sawsword were about to go on the offensive again when they were about to go on the offensive again when they were swiftly interrupted again. This time the interruption didn't come in the form of a Worm, but in a pair of Kamen Riders. Both were mounted on their respective motorcycles and screeched to a stop. All four of the fighters instantly froze at the sight of the pair. For Zabee and Sawsword it was in recognition of the red Rider with the blue eyes and horn while it was in suspicion for the red, white, and black Rider with green eyes. For Caucasus and Hakabuto, it was also in recognition of a familiar face.

"Sensei!" the pair cried, recognizing Kabuto's form.

"Kabuto," Zabee frowned. "Stay out of this. Your students have gone too far. By attacking ZECT, the forfeit any kind of protection you could possibly have given them."

"As their sensei, any kind of discipline falls to me to administer," Kabuto spoke as he dismounted his bike. Glancing at two of his three students, he looked back at the wasp and scorpion Riders. "And I know for a fact that my students are innocent of what you are accusing them of."

"Oh really?" snorted Sawsword, raising his blade. "And the testimony of hospitalized Zectroopers is wrong?"

"Oh, they got the armor right," the new Rider spoke, resting on his vehicle. "They just got the faces wrong. You guys are being duped. There's a trio of jerks out there who are running around in armor similar to Kabuto's students. They had been trying to trick him into thinking they were his students. They blew it and we fought them."

"What?!" Hakabuto and Caucasus gasped.

"Impossible," Zabee frowned. "No one can copy a Zector."

"Well, someone did and are using it to frame these guys," the new Rider sighed, pointing at Hakabuto and Caucasus. "And you guys fell for it hook, line, and sinker."

"So…someone's been pretending to be us, attacking members of ZECT?" asked Hakabuto.

"Bingo," the unknown Rider nodded. "Someone obviously doesn't like you three."

Zabee listened to the conversation, trying to find holes in the story. He didn't know who this new Rider was, but he knew Kabuto was at least telling the truth. The red Rider didn't lie unless the situation called for it. He hardly ever lied since most cases for lying he felt was beneath him. Still, if Kabuto was telling the truth, then there were three rogue Riders out there who might just be worse than Kick Hopper or Punch Hopper. Even worse, they knew how ZECT operated if they were able to target their members and manipulate their forces into reacting like they had.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Sawsword dubiously.

"We fought them only a few moments ago," Kabuto retorted. "How long have you been chasing my students?"

"Point taken," Zabee nodded. "This changes things. Still, if what you say is true then the third one, Centus, may be a target for other Riders who don't know this. We have to find him either to see if he was in on it or if he needs help."

BOOOM!!

"I think it's the latter," Caucasus muttered, snapping his attention to the source of yet another explosion. The remaining Riders had all grown tense, ready in case the supposed impostors or more Worms appeared to pick a fight.

"WAGH!"

Rolling away from the scene of the explosion was a Rider donned in bronze much like the one Kabuto and his ally had fought a short time ago, but it was noticeably different. There was no doubt in Kabuto, Caucasus, or Hakabuto's mind that it was Centus. Leaping after him from the scene of the explosions was a pair of familiar faces; Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper. Both of them looked like they were having fun and weren't about to let up.

"Well, might as well save pork-butt," Caucasus sighed.

"How many times are we going to have to explain this?" the mysterious Rider asked as he went to follow the gold Rider.

* * *

In the wasteland known as Area X of Tokyo, the epicenter of the meteor strike which unleashed the Worms on earth, many forms of life still existed. By far the most harmless were rats and various bits of vermin who called the place home. Since Area X was little more than abandoned buildings and piles of rubble, it gave a large area in which the little creatures could live. Many humans were in the area when the meteor first landed. Those that didn't die on the impact or in the destruction caused by said impact, made every attempt to escape or find relief from the disaster. Many had escaped of course, but a good portion of those escapees had been Worms mimicking the survivors. It did put to reason how the Worms had managed to escape into the general population.

When the organization ZECT discovered where the Worms were coming from, they halted any and all repair plans for the Shibuya area and erected a steel wall almost religiously guarded by Zectroopers. The complete disassociation from the rest of Tokyo quickly earned the area the name Area X. The walls were immensely high, higher than almost any Worm could jump even when they were in Cock Up. The walls were also thick and heavy, easily able to withstand the odd Worm attempting to beak out. Occasionally Zectroopers would hear Pupaworms attempting to escape now and then, but they were confident in how the walls would be able to keep the kaijin in and the rest of humanity out.

They didn't account on one man getting in.

On a ruined street, covered in rubble and destroyed cars, a silver veil shimmered into existence before a man walked out from it. Donned in what appeared to be detective garb and glasses, he took in the sight of the area.

"A fraction of the destruction which will be unleashed if Decade is allowed to continue his path," Narutaki frowned as he continued his walk. Several Pupaworms began emerging from their hiding places, but they didn't dare go near the man. They listened to their instincts and stayed far away from him.

"The Riders of this world are not fighting against him," Narutaki continued as he reached the doors of a large building which may have been a department store in the past. Unheeding of the Pupaworms which were following him, he continued walking through the door.

Inside were indeed several destroyed display cases of clothes and other things, indicating that it was a department store. However, no human had stepped inside since the meteor incident. The Pupaworms had begun hissing at Narutaki, but he paid them no mind. He knew their tricks and abilities. He was prepared. His focus was on something else inside of the former store, namely the organic mass which was situated in the centre of the floor.

The object itself appeared to be a large cocoon of some sort. It was large enough to fit a person bordering on seven feet tall inside of it. It was circular and green, much like the Pupaworms who hadn't crossed the threshold of the store. It was suspended inches from the ground by strands of organic silk. The whole mass was apparently alive, but inert. Obviously the mass was the result of the Worms, but for what purpose would have eluded most people. Not Narutaki though. He knew exactly what this object was for.

"The Riders of this world are allying with Decade. This cannot happen," Narutaki frowned. "I must ensure that Decade falls here!"

Looking to the organic mass, silver veils began shimmering around it. The Pupaworms began to flee from the sight as the veils began to work their power. Soon, the organic mass began to pulse and squirm as if waking up or coming to life. Narutaki just continued to smirk at the creature within coming to life as he continued to exorcise his power.

* * *

**Bistro La Salle**

"Get in already!" a familiar voice shouted before crashing noise was heard. Kasumi and Hiyori instantly perked up at hearing the familiar shout.

"Ranma!" the two young woman gasped as they ran into the main serving area, only to freeze at the small crowd which was shuffling in through the door. Tendou, Kira, Ryoga, Yaguruma, Kageyama, Kamemaru, Tsurugi, and most shocking of all, two Ranmas!

"Are you sure you're not a Worm?" Ranma-Caucasus frowned as he continued to stare at his counterpart.

"Yes! For the last time!" Ranma snapped, tired of the questioning glances the other Riders kept giving him.

"Two…Ranmas?" Hiyori blinked in confusion.

"It is a little surprising isn't it?" Kasumi smiled, seeing her new friend's confusion.

The group of Riders quickly took seats as Ranma was placed in the centre. Since he was a double of the Ranma they new, almost all of them were suspicious that he was actually a worm in disguise that was trying to fool them. After rescuing Ryoga from Yaguruma and Kageyama, it was Tendou who decided that the Riders should go to the bistro to get their facts straight and decide what to do. Of course, Ranma still had to prove that he wasn't a Worm.

"Isn't there some way to test for that sort of thing?" Ranma sighed, slumping in into a chair next to his counterpart.

"Worm mimicry is near perfect," Kamemaru sighed. "ZECT's developed an agent which can force Worms to change back, but they only use it in large scale operation. Perfectly safe for humans, but causes havoc on Worms. Other than that, there's no way to tell."

"Actually, I have a way," Ranma-Caucasus spoke, raising his hand. "There's a pressure point on the body which forces a reaction out of anyone I use it on. However, the reaction depends on the subject being human or not."

"Well? Lay it on me then!" Ranma snapped.

"You asked for it," Ranma-Caucasus shrugged. Suddenly, he snapped his arm out and dug his thumb into the base of Ranma's neck. The pigtailed young man froze on the impact before he started shuddering. All of the Riders in the room paid rapt attention to his movements, wondering what the reaction one of their younger members talked about was. Ranma's cheeks bulged as if he were going to throw up before suddenly…

"BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!" Ranma burst out laughing, holding his sides. He laughed uncontrollably

"Well, he's human," Ranma-Caucasus chuckled as his counterpart was sent sprawling onto the floor, clutching his sides as he continued to laugh uncontrollably.

"Just what did you do to him?" asked Tsurugi.

"It's called the Laughing Point," Ranma-Caucasus answered. "It's a special point when struck, induces the reaction in the brain considered to control positive things like laughter. Basically, I push it into overdrive and they laugh uncontrollably for a minute or two."

"And how does that discover Worms?" asked Kamemaru, ignoring the laughing martial artist on the floor.

"Simple," answered Ranma-Caucasus. "Worms are wired differently than humans even when they mimic someone. I once used that point on a Worm mimicking a human to try and stop them from running away. Instead of laughing uncontrollably, the Worm just broke down and started to cry. I hit the exact same spot as I would with a human and the thing started to cry instead of laughing."

It took the native Ranma some time to discover this unintended Worm detection technique. After he learned it and tried it out on some of the Hentai Horde who got the nerve to try and take him down in order to date Akane, he had discovered that some of them broke down crying instead of laughing. Confused, he had tested it on the group over and over until the Worms just couldn't take it anymore and revealed themselves. Thus began the great Worm massacre of Furinkan High.

"Moving on," Yaguruma frowned. "What's this about Tendou's students being framed?"

"It's simple," Tendou shrugged. "Three individuals have been going to extreme lengths to try and frame my students for crimes against ZECT and the other Riders. They have access to Zectors which are quite similar to my students'. The differences are small, but noticeable to those who observe. Someone is holding a grudge against my students and possibly myself as well and aren't afraid of going to extreme lengths to try and achieve their goals."

"That doesn't narrow the list," Tsurugi frowned. "Almost half of the people in this room have a grudge against you."

"These guys…are…different," the voice of Ranma panted as the dimensional traveler got back into his chair, trying to catch his breath. "When I was fighting the silver and bronze ones, they mentioned that my counterpart stole something from them. I think it might include Ryoga and Kira too."

"But we didn't steal anything!" Ryoga cried out.

"Nothing?" asked Kamemaru. "None of you have come into possession of something new recently?"

"The only thing new which Riders would want to get me for is… my… Zector," Kira spoke, his speech slowing as he realized what may be the source of the conflict. "Wait a second! You're not saying that these guys are after us because of our Zectors, are you?"

"That's a strong possibility at this point," Tendou shrugged. "All three of you gained your Zectors during an incident which the previous wielders failed to show the qualities which would have allowed them to keep their mantles as Riders. I think it is more than likely that they are upset about what happened and seek revenge."

"Framing us and waiting for ZECT to take us down is a little more than just 'irate'," Ranma-Caucasus muttered. "Those guys want us dead!"

"But the only people who knew we got the Zectors had to be people in ZECT," Kira frowned, turning to look at Kamemaru and Tsurugi. "ZECT is the only organization which can construct Zectors and know the movements of the Riders and Zectroopers. That means that the people who are after our blood have to be from ZECT if they're able to pull off something like this and keep it from you guys. It was happening right under your noses!"

"A good strategy then," Tendou nodded. "ZECT has eyes everywhere to look for Worms and Riders. Where better to cast their operation from than within ZECT itself?"

"Okay, but who in ZECT would even try?" asked Tsurugi skeptically. "Who would even know that these three kids are Riders in the first place? Only other Riders even know who took the Zectors."

"Former Riders, that's who. How do you think I got my hands on the Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper Zectors?" Yaguruma spoke up, earning glances from everyone in the room. "Who would know Zectors best? Who would know who most of the Riders are? Who would have access to the processes which can create Zectors?"

"Former Riders," Kira gasped.

"So, you think those guys were got our Zectors from are doing this?" asked Ryoga plainly.

"Fits my life just perfectly," Ranma-Caucasus muttered darkly.

"I hear you," Ranma nodded grimly, feeling weird that whackjobs coming for revenge weren't technically after him.

"So…who are these former Riders?" asked Kageyama.

Conversation was suddenly halted when a windswept figure burst into the bistro looking like he had driven all over town. Yanking his helmet off, he revealed himself to be Kagami, late for work again. After having gotten lost after driving like a madman for several hours and not paying attention to his surroundings, he finally discovered his place of secondary employment. However, he was pretty surprised to see almost all of the Riders collected there. Among them, two Ranmas.

"What did I miss?" he asked in confusion.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

"Just what the hell happened Kurosaki?" demanded a man who was wearing a white shirt with black dress pants. His hair was a deep brown and he had bandages on his arms and torso. He seemed a little scrawny, but otherwise fit and built for speed rather than power. His name was Hidenari Oda, the former wielder of the Hakabuto Zector. "You told us Saotome was being pursued by ZECT. Now why the hell was he was Kabuto?"

"I don't know," a man donned in a white suit named Issei Kurosaki, the former wielder of the Caucasus Zector frowned. "My contacts in the Zectroopers told me that they were cornering Saotome and Yagami were cornered at a bistro somewhere. I don't know why he was with Saotome or why he had that Rider System."

"Could they be onto us?" asked a goatee sporting figure in a black suit. He was Tetsuki Yamato, the former wielder of the Centus Zector.

"If they weren't before they are now," Oda growled. "Even if it's just the three, with Kabuto mixed in it's going to be harder to deal with them!"

"They can be dealt with," Kurosaki answered coolly, walking towards a monitor. Pressing a few keys, spotlights light up to reveal a high tech mechanism. It seemed like a futuristic machine made with modern materials. It largely resembled a Tulsa Coil, but the green energy humming from the power cells planted at the base. In all, the machine didn't appear to be all that friendly in appearance. Kurosaki just marveled at the impressive machine.

"We have our secret weapon completed," he smirked, Oda and Yamato joining him. "Soon, we will be the strongest Riders of all and the only protectors humanity needs."

"As the destiny we rightfully deserve," Yamato agreed, Oda nodded his own affirmative.

* * *

**Café La Salle**

With their enemies confirmed as Riders and Kagami finally brought up on the situation (Ranma figuring that Ryoga's direction curse had transferred to him) it was the stag beetle Rider who had gotten a halfway decent plan. Working with ZECT, he had two teammates named Shuichi Tadokoro and Yuzuki Misaki. Tadokoro was Kagami's superior before he became a Rider and part of the surveillance team which would scope out target area and/or people they suspected of being Worms or connected to Worms. Misaki was one of his fellow team members and more of a technician than a field agent. She had been tasked with capturing Kabuto in the beginning, but she seemed to have much more respect for him and not as much a by-the-book agent as she used to be. Kagami had called them both in to try and get some information about the people they wanted to find. Naturally, they met at the bistro were Kasumi and Hiyori were already fixing up numerous orders for the collected Riders.

"Kagami, you think someone's developed Zectors of their own and are using them to frame Kabuto's students?" asked Tadokoro with some skepticism.

"And that the ones responsible are former Riders?" asked Misaki after again shooting Tsurugi down for another date. Although…he was getting better at asking her out.

"I know how it sounds," Kagami nodded. "But Tendou said the three who've been attacking ZECT are imposters! You know he doesn't lie about that sort of thing!"

"Well," Misaki frowned, looking to see where Tendou and Tsurugi were having one of their little competitions, this one being a card game which involved all of the Riders. Both Ranmas lost quickly with Ryoga not too far behind. Tsurugi and Tendou were in the lead with everyone else struggling to make some kind of leap to the top spot. Kasumi was bringing out their orders while Hiyori was busy in the kitchen with the cooking. Somehow, they were all getting along for a change but it was because of Kasumi admonishing them for being rude in a restaurant that got all of them, the two Hoppers included, to behave themselves for the time being.

Misaki knew that if there was anything to know about Tendou, it was that he didn't lie without a damn good reason. Although to protect his students was a seemingly good one, Tendou as a teacher usually made sure his students took their lumps when they needed them. To that end, if they had been the ones attacking ZECT and other Riders, then he wouldn't have been so quick to rush to their defense. No, to her, if Tendou said there were imposters running around, then there most likely were fake Riders about.

"We'll do a check then," Tadokoro nodded, gesturing for Misaki to open up her laptop, which the female technician did. Starting it up, she opened the personnel files in which people like herself and her superior had access to. After all, it wouldn't be the first time that members of ZECT had been replaced by Worms.

"So we're looking for people who were candidates for Rider Systems," Misaki spoke softly as she began typing in information for the search engines. "For the Caucasus, Hakabuto, and Centus systems, correct?"

"That's right," Kagami nodded, looking over her shoulder. Misaki nodded and began her search. Piles upon piles of pictures and profiles were searched through at a rapid pace by the computer. Naturally ZECT had numerous candidates lined up for their Rider Systems, but it was only one out of those many who were picked to wield one. Some days Misaki still couldn't understand why more than half the systems went to people who were outside ZECT's control.

"I have them!" Misaki spoke, all attention turned away from her save for Tendou and Tsurugi who were the last two to be in the game, everyone else having lost already. "Issei Kurosaki, Hidenari Oda, and Tetsuki Yamato. All three had those Rider Systems before they lost them on their first missions. ZECT had them taken off the Rider program and moved them into R&D."

"Perfect place to make new Zectors," Ranma frowned as he and his counterpart got up to look at the profile photos.

"Hey! That Kurosaki guy is the one who used the Zector before it went to me," Ranma-Caucasus frowned, easily recalling the jerk's face. "Where are we supposed to find these guys?"

"They were transferred to a secret research facility in the industrial section of the city," Misaki reported. "However, I can't tell you a specific address. I don't have that kind of clearance."

"This is plenty," Ranma nodded. "I'm a good tracker. If these guys have been through here, I'll be able to find them."

"Me too," Ranma-Caucasus agreed.

"Then we should be on our way then," Tendou nodded, finishing the card game and proclaiming himself the winner much to Tsurugi's sputtering. Getting up from his empty plate, he headed to the door while the other Riders, despite not liking Tendou in some cases, finished their own food and began following him.

"Oh my, good luck!" Kasumi waved to the group of men.

"Come back safe," Hiyori nodded, feeling some pride when she saw Ranma-Caucasus' face light up at her words.

"I wish Juka was here," Kira grumbled under his breath so Tendou wouldn't hear.

* * *

Kurosaki turned to his console, seeing an alert turn up. He read it over and frowned, "They're onto us now. They've accessed our files in ZECT and will probably be coming here."

"Then let's prepare a welcome for them then," Yamato snickered.

"One for the history books, even if only a footnote in the rise of the true Riders," Oda laughed, crossing his arms. Turning to the shadows, he whistled. "Are you guys ready?"

A buzzing sound replied with soft green light accompanying it.

* * *

**Industrial Park**

Several motorcycles came to a stop in the old warehouse district. Everyone dismounted and removed their protective helmets. Of course, Ryoga had to ride second with Ranma-Caucasus since he couldn't drive one to save his life and would have gotten lost at a much faster rate. The collected Kamen Riders slowly advanced onto the area, unsure of who or what they might be facing. Worms were somewhat easy to predict, but it wasn't often that they had to deal with actual evil Kamen Riders.

"So…what exactly are we looking for?" asked Kira as he eyed the numerous metal structures.

"ZECT has been using numerous fronts to disguise itself," Kamemaru replied. "Unless you knew what to look for, you'd probably never find any of our bases."

"So…you know what to look for, right?" asked Ranma uncertainly.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Kamemaru retorted with a deadpan stare.

"Just checking," Ranma shrugged.

"Stay focused," Tendou warned the counterpart of his student.

The group continued towards the first of several old buildings, looking for anything which might be out of place. However, as secretive as ZECT was, finding any of their facilities was going to be a problem. Everyone kept their senses sharp, waiting for some kind of attack or even a clue as to what the trio of Riders intended. Looking over the area, it was quickly becoming a test of patience and nerves.

"Bzzzzzzz,"

"Huh?" Ryoga blinked and looked towards the source of the noise.

KABOOM!

An explosion ripped through an iron fire escape, making the metal shriek in protest before the rigging came crashing down towards the Riders. Someone gave a shout of scramble, but everyone had it on their minds anyway. The group of Riders quickly parted ways to avoid getting crushed underneath the rubble.

* * *

Ryoga, Yaguruma, and Kageyama stumbled into a nearby warehouse for shelter from the falling metal and only received some dust on their clothes for their troubles. Coughing, Ryoga was the first to try and figure out just where they had ended up or where their opponents had gone.

"Been waiting for you boy," a voice spoke out. "You brought friends too."

The three Riders turned towards the source. Sitting on top of a small crate like a chair was a man in a black suit. He was calmly drinking tea as if he wasn't in the middle of a probably war zone. His eyes spoke of complete confidence and mastery of his domain.

"Yamato. So you're one of the true culprits behind this," Yaguruma frowned, dusting off his shoulder.

"True," Yamato nodded, finishing his tea. "It felt especially satisfying to beat the pair of you senseless. Out of all of the Riders, you two should have felt more inclined to join my comrades and I rather than side with the trio of thieves which stole our destinies."

"I didn't steal anything from you!" Ryoga barked angrily. "The Zector chose me over you! You didn't have what it took to be a Rider!"

"I have every right!" Yamato snarled, shattering the cup in his hands. "It is my destiny to become a defender of humanity and you stole it from me! Now I'm going to take it back! If the other Riders don't want to help, then I'll destroy them too!"

"Bold words," Yaguruma chuckled as he revealed his belt.

"Let's see you back them up," Kageyama laughed.

"I intend to!" Yamato frowned, revealing a metallic bracelet.

"**Standby!**"

Four mechanical insects burst into the scene. The first two were a pair of grasshoppers, one a brown and the other green. The second pair were a pair of centaurus beetles. The first was solid bronze, but the second was black with bronze horns and the ZECT logo on its back. Three went to Yaguruma, Kageyama, and Ryoga, while the last came to a rest atop of Yamato's wrist.

"Henshin!" the four cried out. The trio attached their Zectors to their belts whilst Yamato turned his vertical so the horns were facing his fist.

"**Henshin!**"

"**Change Kick Hopper!**"

"**Change Punch Hopper!**"

"**Change Beetle!**"

"Cast Off!" Centus cried, pulling the horns of his Zector back before his armor loosened and began to explode off of his frame. "**Cast Off! Change Centaurus Beetle!**"

"I seem to be a little outnumbered," Ketaros pondered as he drew his Kunai. "Why don't I make it a little more fair?"

Whistling sharply, Yamato suddenly had two green blurs appear beside him. The two blurs came to a halt, revealing a pair of Worms who snarled threateningly at the trio of Riders. The pair of them were covered in a green chitin armor with their chests looking like exposed ribs. Their left hands were in fact long scythe-like claws which were serrated. Green chitin hung from their backs like a trench coat. Mantis-like caws extended from their shoulders and they had skull-like faces with large eyes. The only real difference between the two was that one had a pair of horns like a mantis' front legs while the other only had a single mantis leg acting like a ponytail.

These were Sectioworm (two horns) and Sectioworm Acuere (one horn).

"Shall we begin?" asked Ketaros.

"Clock Up!" the four Riders cried out.

"**Clock Up!**" Four Zectors replied.

* * *

Kira, Tsurugi, Kagami, and Kamemaru managed to regain their footing as they stumbled into the train yard where items would be shipped to the warehouses. All four of them were panting and more than a little surprised at what had just happened.

"Just what did that?" asked Kira.

"A welcoming surprise," a new voice called out. "Didn't you like it?"

The four Riders turned to see someone walking towards them. He was dressed in a white sleeveless shirt with black pants and a headband. He had black gloves on and a metal bracelet on his left wrist.

"Hidenari Oda," Kamemaru frowned, adjusting his jacket. "So you are one of the people behind this mess."

"Guilty as charged," Oda shrugged. "Really though, I'm just taking back what's mine. Personally, I don't have anything against fellow Riders of ZECT even if the others do, but if you guys intend to get involved fighting on the kid's side, I will bury you like I will him."

"Sounds like a challenge," Tsurugi smirked, raising his yaiba.

"You attacked your fellow members of ZECT!" Kagami frowned as he stood up. "There's no excuse for that!"

"We will be bringing you in," Kamemaru added.

"So that's how it is," Oda sighed. "A pity. You three are good men. Regretful."

"**Standby!**"

Four robotic insects appeared on the scene. Four of them flew down from the air while the fifth burst from the ground. Scorpion, wasp, and two Hercules beetles, and a stag beetle were all counted. Four of the machines flew to the quartet of Riders while the fifth, a black shelled beetle with silver horns, flew onto Oda's wrist.

"Henshin!" the five of them cried out.

"**Henshin!**"

"**Change Beetle!**"

"Cast Off!" the four Riders cried, activating their personal CO systems.

"**Cast Off!**"

"**Change Wasp!**"

"**Change Scorpion!**"

"**Change Stag Beetle!**"

"**Change Hercules Beetle!**"

Thick armor flew in all directions as the four Riders emerged in their Rider forms, clutching their various weapons, staring down the renegade Hercus.

"Now I seem to be outnumbered," Hercus pondered, hefting his axe on his shoulder. "Glad I brought some friends with me on this one."

Three explosions in the ground surrounded Hercus as forms emerged from them. All three of the emerging fighters were in fact Worms. They all appeared to look the same with scarab likeness found in each of them. The first was the Coleopteraworm Croceus which had a gold chitin armor which had rounded shoulders and back. Its right arm possessed a long claw which could shred steel and possibly stone. The second was Coleopteraworm Argentum which had black armor and spikes rising from its shoulders. Its weapon of choice was a pair of deadly claws extending from its right arm, offering double the damage. Finally was Coleopteraworm Aeneus. A brown armored Worm with segmented shoulder pads. Unlike its comrades, it didn't possess long claws as weapons, its own needle-like fingers being more than enough.

"Worms?!" Zabee cried. "You've allied yourselves with Worms?!"

"We came to an agreement," Hercus shrugged. "Now, let's begin. I want to make it painless, even if I don't like the kid."

* * *

"Jeez!" Ranma cried as he, Tendou, and Ranma-Caucasus managed to reach storage place for large metal containers used for shipping were kept. All of the boxes were rusted and old, probably purposefully kept that way so ZECT could discourage anyone from coming.

"We were expected," Tendou frowned as he looked in all directions.

"Indeed you were," a male voice spoke up.

The trio turned in the direction of the voice, finding a white suited man leaning on a metal container with a blue rose in his hand. He looked disdainfully at the trio, his eyes boring into both Ranmas.

"So it seems that I am not the only one to ask for a Worm's help," Kurosaki chuckled as he stood up. "At least we're both prepared to do what it takes to achieve our goals."

"Hey! I am not a Worm!" Ranma yelled angrily.

"Say what you want," Kurosaki shrugged, standing straight. "However, I intend to get back what is mine. It is my destiny to become the guardian of humanity. I will not allow what I deserve to be taken away by some idealistic fool!"

"The role of a Kamen Rider is meant for those who put everything they are into changing the world," Ranma frowned, clenching his fists. "You, who fights only for the beautiful and the strong, very small portions of the world, do not have that drive. You drown yourself in your vanity and arrogance. You ask why the Zector left you, but I ask why did it ever go to you at all?"

"Tendou once said this," Ranma-Caucasus nodded. Following his counterpart's lead. "One who drowns in himself will eventually fall into darkness. Now I see that it's true. You've turned yourself into a monster for the sake of your so-called vengeance and destiny. You say you're destined to be a Rider? I say you're a petty little man!"

Tendou smirked proudly, seeing how strong his student's will truly was. Even through adversity, he stood tall. It was a trait which reflected in all of his students.

"You bastard," Kurosaki growled, crushing his rose and throwing it to the ground. "Who do you think you are?!"

"I'm just a Kamen Rider who's passing through," Ranma shrugged, bringing out his Decadriver. "The name's Ranma Saotome. Remember it!"

"**Standby!**"

The Riders brought fourth their means of transformation, preparing to begin their battle. Tendou and the native Ranma caught their respective red and gold Zectors while a black shelled beetle with gold horns attached to Kurosaki's wrist. Ranma simply attached the Decadriver to his waist and drew a card.

"Henshin!"

"**Henshin!**"

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!**"

"**Change Beetle!**"

"Cast Off!" Kabuto and Caucasus cried, pulling the horns of their Zectors back which began to loosen their armor.

"**Cast Off!**"

"**Change Beetle!**"

"**Change Atlas Beetle!**"

"Now, we will see whose destiny means more!" Aku-Caucasus growled, snapping his fingers.

A metal container burst open and a pair of Worms crawled out. The first was a black Worm which had green claws, mandibles, claws, and spider-like eye son its chest. White hair grew from its wrists, ankles, shoulders, and neck. Its head had a pair of horns which stuck out like an arrow. Spider-like legs grew from its shoulders and it had narrow green eyes on its face. This was the Worm sub species Brachypelmaworm Aurantium. The second was Brachypelmaworm Viridis, an orange and black tarantula-like worm with black spider eyes on its chest, black claws, and black fur around its neck. Its head was round with black eyes and four spider legs growing from the top along with black mandibles on its chin.

"I am going to bury you all!" Aku-Caucasus bellowed.

* * *

The battle was heated between the Riders and the rogue with Worms. Kick Hopper was taking on the Sectioworm while Punch Hopper was fighting the Acuere version. Both Riders wanted to get a piece of the evil bronze Rider who had tricked them, but the Worms took priority at the moment. During this Worm vs. Rider battle, Centus and Ketaros were laying into each other, one attempting to overcome the other.

"Do you know how much grief you put me through?!" Centus demanded as he grappled with Ketaros.

"You deserve it for stealing my fate from me!" Ketaros snarled, kicking the younger Rider away and drawing his Kunai.

"I didn't steal it, you threw it away!" Centus growled, before pushing his finger into the concrete floor. "_Bakusai Tenketsu!_"

The concrete floor exploded into dust and fragments. Because they were in Clock Up, the dust and debris didn't really go very far like it would in normal space, but it did make for a great distraction. With his vision clouded by dust, Ketaros couldn't directly attack Centus. A battle cry was the evil Rider's only warning before Centus burst from the cloud of still dust and lay one of his wall shattering punches into his opponent's bronze chest. Ketaros was sent flying away, crashing through the crate he had been sitting on before the fight and skidded across the concrete.

Kick Hopper delivered a roundhouse kick to the Sectioworm's head, making it snarl as it stumbled backwards. He pressed his assault, lashing out with several savage kicks to its torso and head, making it fall back farther. Angry, the Sectioworm lashed out with its large claw, aiming to take Kick Hopper's head with each strike. The green Rider dodged the strikes with practiced ease and spun a kick which knocked the Worm flat on its back. Still, kneeling, he grabbed the legs of his Zector and pulled them all the way back, "Rider Jump!"

"**Rider Jump!**"

Kick Hopper leaped straight up, his leap taking his straight up. Flipping throught he air, he defied the laws of physics which had jurisdiction over normal speeds and landed on the roof upside down. Looking to the recovering Worm, he leaped down at it, flipping over yet again. As he did so, the legs of his Zector reset themselves, causing tachyon energy to surge through his body and into his extended foot.

"**Rider Kick!**"

The Sectioworm managed to clamber back to its feet to see the approaching Rider. Screeching, it slashed at Kick Hopper, hoping to keep him from striking it down. The Kick just crushed the organic scythe like plastic before Kick Hopper crashed against the Worm's torso. Shrieking in pain, the Sectiowrm flew backwards alight with tachyon bolts. Hitting the concrete, the Worm gave a final hiss before exploding into green flames.

"Hn!" Kick Hopper grunted as he landed on the ground. "Aibou! Finish it fast! We have a Rider to crush!"

"Hai Aniki!" Punch Hopper nodded, uppercutting the Acuere in the chin before continuing his assault. The gray Rider's punches were brutal and damaging, something the Worm was very much experiencing at the moment. Snarling, the Rider grabbed the Acuere by the shoulders and threw it at one of the walls. The Worm crashed hard into the metal siding, but recovered fast, proving how enduring Wroms truly were. Dashing back towards the Rider, the Worm slashed wildly with its scythe claw, making sparks fly from Punch Hopper's arms as he blocked the blows. Growling, Punch Hopper crossed his arms and charged forward, tacking the Acuere sub-Worm and tripping it up. Seeing his opportunity, he pulled back the legs of his Zector, crying, "Rider Jump!"

"**Rider Jump!"**

Leaping into the air, Punch Hopper brought his arm back as his Zector reset its legs, releasing tachyon energy.

"**Rider Punch!**"

Punch Hopper came down hard, slamming his fist into the downed Worm's stomach. The beast shrieked in pain as tachyon energy surged through its body. The cement underneath the kaijin cracked under the force of the hit. The sub-Worm screeched a weakening bellow before it exploded into green fire like its comrade had done.

"Done Aniki!" Punch Hopper called to his nodding superior.

"The let's see if there's anything let of the pretender," Kick Hopper snickered as he began walking towards the resounding cries of battle.

"Hyah!" Ketaros cried, slashing at Centus with his weapon.

"Hey! Watch it!" the bronze Rider cried, dodging the swipe of the weapon.

"I am the superior human! I am the better fighter! I trained for years to do this!" Ketaros hissed, slashing again and again, his previous calm lost to his vengeance-ridden mind. "What make you better? Why were you chosen? WHAT DO YOU HAVE THAT I DIDN'T?!"

'_Was I like this when I was hunting for Ranma?_' Centus wondered idly to himself as he twisted around another rage induced attack. Seeing the self-proclaimed superior stumble, Centus decided to answer, "What do I have. How about a big load of depression that's about to fry you! SHI SHI HAKODAN!"

Cupping his hands, Centus collected the wad of depressed ki, which was harder to use these days, but he had enough thanks to how his day had been going so far. Getting enough, he unleashed a burst point blank into Ketaros' chest, making the evil Rider bellow in pain. The impact had lifted him clean off his feet and sent him crashing through the metal wall before landing on the grass outside, making a sizable crater.

"**Clock Over!**"

Ketaros groaned as his transformation failed and his Kabutech Zector disengaged from his wrist. Thanks to programming he installed, it didn't fly away, but he was in no shape to use it. Yamato could only groan as he stared up at the sky. "I…failed…?" was his only words before he lost consciousness.

"You took the fun part away," Punch Hopper teased, making Centus rub the back of his head.

"Heh, sorry,"

"There's still two more Aibou," Kick Hopper reminded his partner. "Let's see if they're worth the time."

"Hai!" the gray Rider nodded. Both Hoppers then calmly strolled towards the exit with Centus close behind, wanting to find the others.

As the three Riders departed, a new figure walked onto the scene. He meant no harm to the Riders so he didn't try to follow them. Instead, he focused his attention on the unconscious Yamato. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and black shirt with a leather jacket. On his head he wore a baseball cap and the shade it created kept some of his features hidden. The only solid feature which could be identified was his black hair which was sticking out from under the hat. The figure had in his hands a metal briefcase which was casually hanging room his hand as he stepped into the crater next to Yamato.

"Kabutech Zector one of three Ketaros," the figure nodded as he gently picked up the black shelled bronze horned Zector. "I'd be pretty upset if this treasure got destroyed." Taking the Zector, he opened his case, revealing it to be filled with cushioning foam with six spaces in it. Placing the Zector in the far left square, he stripped the bracelet off Yamato's wrist and put it in the slot beneath the Zector. With a grin, the figure shut the case and slapped the unconscious Yamato on the shoulder. "Thanks for the gift man! I owe you one…well, not really, but the thought is appreciated."

Grinning, the figure hefted up his case and walked in the direction of another battle, whistling a merry tune as he went.

* * *

"Ngh!" Hakabuto grunted as his axe blade clashed against Hercus', creating a rain of sparks. The battle had been joined quickly with the four Riders going against the rogue and his three Worm allies. Sawsword was striking against the Croceus while Gatack was fighting off the determined Argentum with Zabee holding down the Aeneus. The two silver Riders had zeroed in on each other and began hacking away, trying literally hack away the opponent. Sparks were the norm to see as the Riders took on their foes.

Zabee ducked under the blow from Aeneus, elbowing it in the side before roundhouse kicking it and making it stumble. The monster snarled before a long insect leg extended from its back, swiping at the wasp Rider. Zabee cried as he was launched back from the strike, his chest armor managing to keep him from getting pierced through the chest. Shaking his head, Zabee stood up and too in his situation. Since becoming the leader of Shadow, he had undergone rigorous training to ensure that he would be a capable and competent leader. However, the man behind the mask had also put himself through martial arts training far beyond the simple tactics ZECT offered. While the weapons Worms used were unique, they did resemble different kinds of weapons which he could train against. Right now the Aneus was using something similar to a broadsword in the oversized appendage. It had an advantage in range, but it could only swing in certain directions and the mass had to be a problem in terms of speed unless it was Clocked Up.

"I just have to get into range," he muttered to himself.

Charging again, Zabee moved as quickly as he could outside of Clock Up. Aeneus acted quickly lashing out with not only the single appendage, but with five more like it, creating a mass of strikes which could have turned a regular person into a man-sized piece of swiss cheese. Thankfully, Zabee was not a regular person. He dodged, and rolled around the attacks, recalling his strategy he would employ for numerous opponents with large bladed weapons. The appendages caused sparks to fly from his shoulders or sides when they nicked him, but he managed to get through it. Clearing the maze of appendages and charged towards the brown Worm. His plan seemed to be working before he felt six impacts against his back.

"Gah!" Zabee cried out, the impact on his back launching him past the worm and into the gravel of the train yard. Groaning, he scrambled to his knees, looking at the Worm. The monster seem to gurgle in amusement as it curled its appendages mockingly.

"Oh yeah. Forgot they could curve like that," the wasp Rider groaned. Standing up, he reached for his Zector. "Plan B! Rider Sting!"

"**Rider Sting!**"

Tachyon energy pooled into the stinger of Zabee's Zector, making it crackle and glow with energy. The Kamen Rider charged forward, his weapon of choice at the ready. The Aeneus hissed and launched its appendages again. However, this time Zabee had his stinger ready. Reaching the first of the appendages, he thrust his stinger, shattering the Worm's appendage like it was made of crumbling clay. Continuing his run, Zabee destroyed the remaining five appendages as easily as the first, his Rider Sting shining as brightly as ever. Smashing through the final appendage, Zabee leaped forward and thrust his arm ahead, burying the stinger of his Zector into the Aeneus' chest.

"EEEYYYAAAHHHHH!!" the Worm screeched out before it exploded into brown flames, signaling its demise.

"Yah!" Gatack cried out, slashing at the Argentum with his Double Caliburs. The enemy in question wasn't going to be beaten easily as it retaliated with its pair of blades. The pair had gone into a slashing match with one another, trying to bring one another down. The pair had their blades interlocked, making a rain of sparks before they pushed off one another. The Argentum snarls before vanishing into a black blur. Gatack didn't hesitate before he slapped a button on his belt, "Clock Up!"

"**Clock Up!**"

The world slowed down as Gatack and the Argentum attacked each other brutally. Ducking underneath a horizontal cut, Gatack and the Worm sided across the gravel of the train yard, sending the stones flying before they hung in the air, almost frozen in time. Gatack lunged, striking as hard and as fast as he could, but the Worm seemed to be able to keep up with his moves. Kicking at its midsection, Gatack attempted to get some space between himself and his opponent.

"Gotta end this fast!" He muttered, finding himself getting short of breath. He cursed himself for skipping training so he could be on time for work again. Heaving a breath, he and the Worm charged at each other again.

The Argentum snarled and lashed out with six large appendages which pierced the dirt where Gatack would have been of he didn't move out of the way. Twisting past the attacks Gatack charged at the Worm, bringing his Calibur's together, forming a pair of pinchers. "Rider Cutting!"

"**Rider Cutting!**"

The Worm swung at Gatack, but the Rider rolled under the attack, stopping at the Argentum's feet. Seeing his opportunity, he pushed his combined Calibur's towards the worm, trabbing it between the two two prongs. Tachyon energy poured from the weapons, making the monster screech in pain as Gatack used his enhanced strength to lift the monster off of the ground, keeping it from escaping the pincher attack. It thrashed, screeched, bellowed, but it did no good. Finally, the monster exploded in black flames with a loud boom.

"**Clock Over!**"

Gatack heaved a sigh as the Worm was destroyed, allowing him a moment to breathe.

"HRAAAGH!" Hercus bellowed as he swung widely at Hakabuto, almost catching the younger Rider in the head. Hakabuto had quickly discovered the strength difference between himself and his older counterpart. It wasn't encouraging to say the least. Still, he wasn't about to give up and just let Hercus win, not while the guy was willing to ally himself with Worms for the sake of his so-called revenge.

"Yahh!" Hakabuto grunted, blocking a strike with his own axe, grunting under the strain of doing such.

"This is going to be sweet!" Hercus grinned. "You have this coming kid!"

"I just picked up what you dropped!" Hakabuto grunted. "Not my fault it liked me better than you!"

"It was meant for me!" Hercus snapped back. "You stole it!"

"It chose me!" Hakabuto shouted, moving the axes to the side before punching his counterpart in the face, making him reel back. "If you can't even man up and admit that you weren't good enough to earn it like the others, then there's no way you'll EVER be able to get your hands on it!"

"SHUT UP!!" Hercus raged. "IT'S MINE! DO YOU HEAR ME?! MINE! RIDER BEAT!!" he snapped his Zector one hundred-eighty degrees, activating its finisher system.

"**Rider Beat!**"

Hercus growled as his axe blade began to glow with tachyon energy. Panting, he charged at his younger foe, aiming to split him down the middle. Hakabuto backed up, trying to figure out his options while keeping away from the deathblow. As he was moving, he backed into something. Turning slightly, he saw the insect-like face of the Croceus. It was an odd moment for the Rider to be sure. He didn't think about being back to back with a Worm like this. Glancing at the Worm's face, a rather absurd thought came to his mind.

'_Well what do you know? He reminds me of Konchu-sensei. Maybe they're related._'

"DIE!" Hercus bellowed, leaping for an overhead chop.

"Tag out!" Hakabuto cried, pulling on the Croceus' arm, making it stand in the spot where the good silver Rider had been a moment ago. Hercus was already invested in his attack and unable to pull away. The energized axe crashed into Croceus' head and split the screeching worm directly down the middle. The Worm screeched with destroyed vocal cords before it exploded in a gold tinted haze of heat. Backing away from the flames, Hakabuto reached to his Zector.

"**One, Two, Three.**"

"Rider Kick!" he cried before resetting the horn and pulling it again.

"**Rider Kick!**"

Hercus tried to peer through the fire, switching his axe into its gun form, but he couldn't see anything. However, it didn't quite matter when Hakabuto came flying out of the flames with his foot extended in a kick, crackling with tachyon energy. Hercus didn't even get a chance to curse when the attack collided with his chest, sending him flying several feet away before skidding across the gravel and coming to a stop. With a groan, Hercus' transformation failed as his Zector dropped to the gravel, inert.

"I…guess….you wanted…it more…," Oda groaned before his world went dark.

Hakabuto sighed, panting as he sat on the ground. Somehow, fighting against another human in true life or death stakes was way harder than it was when he fought Worms. Sighing, he looked to see Sawsword with his sword hefted over his shoulder, looking upset.

"You stole my kill," the scorpion Rider frowned. "Worms are mine to hunt if you so recall."

"I didn't kill it though," Hakabuto retorted before pointing at Oda. "He did. I just moved it."

"Oi!" Gatack cried, running up to the pair with Zabee in tow. "Come on! We have to get to the others!"

"Right!"

"Hn."

The four riders started their race towards the warehouse area, hoping to kind their missing members. When they were gone, the hat wearing figure from before quickly moved out of a hiding place behind a container and walked towards Oda. Kneeling beside the downed man, he opened his case and retrieved the Hercus Zector and its bracelet before placing both next to the Ketaros system and shutting the case again.

"Kabutech Zector two of three, Hercus," the figure smiled as he got up and began walking towards the scene of the last battle. "Two down, and one to go."

* * *

In the container storage area, the last three fights were in full swing. Kabuto was fighting against the Aurantium while the Viridis was being kept busy by Decade. Caucasus was taking on his evil counterpart, both fighting with everything they had. The battles were taking their toll as parts of the scenery with Worm attacks or Aku-Caucasus' rage. All in all, it was par the course for Ranma Saotome save for the fact that they were wearing enhancing armor.

Aurantium lunged for Kabuto, but the red Rider sidestepped the attack and dropped an elbow into the Worm's back, making it sprawl out onto the ground. Snarling, the Work got back to its feet and began shooting webbing from its mandibles, attempting to restrain Kabuto for an easier attack. Drawing his Kunai, he slashed the masses of organic silk out of the air, letting it fall onto the ground in sticky tangles. Seeing that his opponent was done shooting, Kabuto went on the assault, slashing the Aurantium across the chest, bringing a rain of sparks from the impact. The Worm screeched and stumbled backwards, trying to get out of range. With a hiss, it leaped onto the container sidings, sticking to the walls much like a spider could. The alien snarled as it glared at the red Rider.

"Hm," Kabuto sighed almost in a bored tone. The Aurantium didn't take the perceived insult lightly as it began leaping across the containers. Kabuto just kept his gaze straight as he reached to his Zector. "**One.**"

The Worm adhered to a container high above Kabuto and began shooting more streams of webbing at him. The Kamen Rider didn't seem fazed as he stepped out of the way and continued with his Zector. "**Two.**"

Now very angry, the Aurantium vanished into Clock Up, vanishing from sight. Again, Kabuto seemed large unconcerned with the disappearance of his foe and just kept his attention on his Zector. "**Three.**"

With the set-up complete, he reset his Zector. Several craters appeared on the containers as the high speed landings cause the steel to buckle slightly. "Rider Kick." Pulling the horn, the Kabuto Zector crackled with its deadly power. "**Rider Kick!**"

Energy crackled over Kabuto's form as his finisher was prepared to be unleashed. The Aurantium took the moment to slow down, sticking to a large metal container behind Kabuto, moving silently and showing some higher intelligence than some of its fellows. Inhaling, the Aurantium lunged, aiming to take Kabuto from behind. As its claws reached out, eager to tear Kabuto limb from limb, the crimson Rider suddenly whirled around and sank a Rider Kick into the Worm's head, unleashing the charged tachyon energy into it and making it explode into black flames which quickly vanished into the air. Kabuto calmly relaxed his stance before looking to the rest of the battles going on.

Decade blocked a blow from the Viridis with his Ride Booker in its sword form before delivering a kick to the Worm's chest, granting some space before slashing it across the chest, making it stumble backwards. The dimensional Kamen Rider didn't want to let up the pace for a moment. If the kaijin was given even a little bit of breathing room then it would start to Clock Up and leave Decade vulnerable again. Sure, he could change into Faiz again, but he was saving that for an emergency.

Charging, Decade kicked at the Viridis keeping it off balance. He was taking special care to attack the creature's legs. After all, if its legs were wounded then it couldn't properly Clock Up, now could it? Unfortunately, the Worm was smart and was able to either block the blows or simply avoid them by taking the hits to other areas which weren't necessary for Clock Up to function properly. The Worm knew what he was trying to do and wasn't going to happen.

"Clever little bug, aren't you?" Decade frowned underneath his helmet.

Now, it should be prudent to know that while Worms are mostly incapable of human speech before they claim a mimic, they are still very much able to understand it. This particular Worm, having had such a mimic, not only knew that Decade was insulting it, but also the knowledge to understand the sarcasm and contempt to it, making it that much more of an insult. As with all sentient beings, the Viridis understandably became quite upset with the words. Snarling, its muscles tensed before vanishing into Clock Up.

"Not again," Decade groaned.

WHAM!

BOOM!

CLANG!

"Agh! This is getting old!" Decade cried as he flew from the trio of impacts before landing on the asphalt between the containers. Groaning, he got back up and reached for his Ride Booker. If this wasn't a time to use Faiz Axel Form then he didn't know what was.

WHAM!

BOOM!

CLANG!

"Oof!" the dimensional Kamen Rider groaned as he was sent stumbling from another trio of hits. He was now sure more than ever that this was getting old. He was so sick of Clock Up!

WHAM!

BOOM!

CLANG!

"Ow! This is pissing me off!" Decade hissed. '_Wait a sec. Those felt familiar._'

WHAM!

BOOM!

CLANG!

'_This freak's attacking in a pattern!_' Decade realized after another trio of blows which Ryoga could match hit his body. Reaching to his Ride Booker, Decade suddenly got an idea. Judging from his positioning, the open space he had, the supposed pattern this Worm was following, and probably the amount of time he needed to do it, Decade drew his card and quickly threw it into his Decadriver before shutting it again.

"**Attack Ride: Illusion!"**

A clone of Decade immediately manifested and lunged forward, slashing his blade in a path directly in front of the true Decade. For a moment, the Rider feared that his timing was wrong or that he had gotten the wrong position for the strike. However, in an instant, there was a shower of sparks and the Viridis had reappeared for a heartbeat before vanishing into Clock Up again. Another Decade clone quickly lunged out to the left, striking at what appeared to be nothing but air, however another shower of sparks and the brief appearance of the Viridis hinted otherwise. Decade himself took the next step, lunging to hi right with another slash aiming low. His sword impacted against something before the Viridis reappeared, skidding across the ground, screeching in pain. It clutched its leg desperately, revealing a gash in it. It would probably be able to stand, but Clock Up was most likely out of the question.

"Who needs Clock Up?" Decade laughed, switching his Ride Booker into its gun form while drawing a card. His pride as a fighter now satisfied, he didn't feel that annoying need to do something flashy…but he'd do it anyway. "Time to end this!"

"**Final Attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade!"**

Decade pointed his weapon at the Viridis while nine cards bearing his symbol appeared in a row in front of him. Steeling himself, he pulled the trigger, unleashing a blast of red pixelated energy. The beam traveled through the projections, growing bigger as it phased through each one. The rather large blast then emerged from the final card before impacting against the Viridis. The Worm shrieked in agony before exploding into a blaze of orange flames which quickly burned out to reveal a blackened ground.

"RAAAHHH!" Aku-Caucasus bellowed, punching wildly at his teenage counterpart.

Caucasus deflected several punched before retaliating with his own. The older Rider was a man possessed and seemed downright desperate to take him down and prove that the original Caucasus system was meant for him and no one else. The teenage Rider was used to dealing with berserkers before. Guys like Herb, Ryoga before he chilled out. Mousse in one of his moods, and even Saffron preferred to lob fireballs and fly rather than show any kind of real skill in terms of fighting. However, in this case, Aku-Caucasus was determined to kill him for some kind of perceived insult, and not like how Mousse or Ryoga would try either. Those two would just beat him up if they can and prove they could win, whereas this guy was honestly trying to end his life.

The two gold Atlas Beetle Riders were exchanging furious blows. Caucasus managed to hit Aku-Caucasus a few times, driving him back, but the original owner of his Zector was really determined and was not letting up on his attacks at all. Instead his ferocity intensified as he landed a kick against Caucasus' side. Caucasus recovered and kicked out at Aku-Caucasus who grabbed his leg. Caucasus followed up with jumping up on his remaining leg and landing a kick against Aku-Caucasus' chest, sending him reeling. They then charged at each other, trading punches like a pair of boxers. The sounds of their fight made echoing noises around them as they continued to beat on each other.

"Give up!" Aku-Caucasus snarled, dodging a kick. "You may have fooled the Zector, but you haven't fooled me! You waste your talents on the masses! Only the beautiful and the strong can truly advance the world to perfection! That is what Kamen Riders are for!"

"Kamen Riders exist to protect everyone!" Caucasus shouted back, redirecting a punch from his foe and elbowing him in the gut. "When is it ever going to get through your thick head that everyone on the planet deserves to be protected? Just because you're tough or pretty is no excuse to get treated special! I'm one of the toughest guys in my district and I still get treated like crap!"

"Then you aren't strong enough to command respect," Aku-Caucasus snapped. "Why does the Zector still cling to you despite your weakness?!"

"Come at me again, and I'll show you just how *weak* I am!" Caucasus snapped back, making a 'come here' gesture with his hands.

"Gladly," Aku-Caucasus snorted as he reached to his Zector and twisted it one hundred-eighty degrees. "Rider Beat."

"**Rider Beat!**"

"**One, Two, Three,**" the Caucasus Zector called as Caucasus pushed the button legs and reset the horns. "Rider Kick!"

"**Rider Kick!**"

Tachyon energy coursed through the two Riders before it concentrated in their kicking feet. Taking a silent signal, the pair leaped into the air at the exact same time. The two gold riders extended their feet in a side kick aimed at one another. Both were pushed by their ambitions and beliefs, both knowing that the other was wrong in their minds. Roaring with adrenaline, the two opposing fighters met kick against kick. The tachyon energy reacted as advertised, attacking the opposing force before an explosion ripped through the sky. The light blinded any witnesses for a moment, allowing two figures to drop from the flames. One landed on his back with a loud thud and a groan while the other landed on his feet, slightly winded.

"Uhhhhh….im…imposss…ible," the gold figure on his back groaned. "I…I hold beauty and strength…why do I lose? You're just…a simple fool!"

"You're wrong," a voice similar to Caucasus' shot back. From around a metal container, Decade came, revealing himself and the other Riders coming out of the woodwork, slowly surrounding the area and making Aku-Caucasus' heart drop, looking defeat in the eye. "This guy here, I know him pretty well. Not many people see it but he's a better person than people give him credit. He's got a firm hold of honor and can tell between right and wrong. That's why the Zector chose him and rejected you. Simply, he was more worthy than you!"

Aku-Caucasus demanded angrily, "Who the hell do you think you are, you bastard!"

"I told you before. I'm just a Kamen Rider who's passing through. Remember that!" Decade answered. As if reacting to his words, his Ride Booker opened on its own and spat out three cards. Catching them by reflex, Decade looked them over. In a flash of light, the images were filled, revealing them as the Kamen Ride, Final Form Ride, and Final Attack Ride cards of Kamen Rider Caucasus. "Hmm. A little late, but always a good thing."

"Issei Kurosaki," Zabee spoke, walking towards the defeated Aku-Caucasus. "You are hereby charged with stealing ZECT property and betraying humanity to the Worms. By the authority vested in me, I hereby place you under arrest."

BOOOM!!

"What the-?!" Gatack cried as he and the other Riders turned towards the source of the disturbance.

One of the metallic containers had suddenly exploded for no real cause. However, that idea was quickly stomped when a figure made its way through the flames. It stood at a towering eight feet tall and was covered in a chitin armor like other Worms were. Its shoulders looked like rolled up pill bugs while its arms were large and thick, ending in worm-like fingers which squirmed as if they didn't have bones inside of them. Its torso was broad and covered in armor which had a shine to it in the sunlight. Its legs were just as thick as its arms, ending in talons which tore at the asphalt like it were mud. It's head was broad, sporting a long horn from the middle of its forehead while a pair of long stag beetle mandibles extended from either side of its jaw.

This was…the Goliatheraworm.

"Decade!" a voice crowed from behind the towering Worm, revealing himself to be a man wearing glasses and dressed like a Japanese detective. "This Worm will spell your downfall! Your journey ends here!" Laughing like a maniacal villain, the strange man vanished behind a silver veil, leaving the Goliatheraworm to snarl at the collected Riders.

"Who the heck was that?" asked Caucasus as he took a battle stance.

"No clue," Decade shrugged as he gripped his Ride Booker. "He's gonna get pounded next time I see him though."

"It's coming!" Gatack called as the Goliatheraworm began to jog towards the Riders with battle in its eyes.

Grunting, Aku-Caucasus saw the approaching Worm and snickered softly at the perfect opportunity. Producing a switch, he quickly activated it with the press of a button. With the signal sent, a pile of metal containers began to tremble as hidden hydraulics came to life. The container on the top unfolded like a paper cube, revealing a machine which looked not unlike a Tulsa coil. The Riders were torn between looking at the machine and the approaching Goliatheraworm. However, Aku-Caucasus wasn't done yet as he pressed another button on the remote.

"**Clock Down!**" the strange machine spoke loudly.

Green energy fired from the top of the machine, streaking down towards the collected Riders. The bolt spread out into several streams of energy which collided with the Riders save for Decade. Sparks flew from the impact points on their chests, sending them all sprawling or stumbling. Groans and grunts of pain were heard as the Riders' armor gave a faint green aura which slowly dissolved. However, the energy simply collected over their Zectors.

That was when the Goliatheraworm decided to Clock Up.

"Ugh!" Gatack groaned, seeing the Worm vanish. Still having some of his senses with him, he slapped the switch on his belt. "Clock Up!"

"**Error!**"

"Huh?!" the blue Rider cried.

The Clocked Up Worm then stuck. Sparks flew from all of the Rider's armor as they were attacked by rapid speed strikes. Sawsword and Zabee were sent crashing into metal containers with enough force to leave dents. Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper skidded across the pavement, leaving a trail of sparks as they went. Kabuto and Gatack crashed to the ground several feet away while Centus and Hakabuto actually did flips in the air from the force of their impacts before crashing to the ground. Lastly, Decade and Caucasus hit the dirt near the evil gold Rider, whom was chuckling at their pain.

"You see?!" Aku-Caucasus laughed. It seemed that he was quickly becoming more cracked up by the minute at facing his own loss. "You aren't worthy! Now I'll be the one to save humanity! You can't win if you don't have Clock Up!"

"Just shut up already!" Decade growled, elbowing the Rider in the face, knocking him out cold. The man's armor vanished as his Zector fell to the ground, inert. Getting to their feet, Caucasus and Decade saw the Goliatheraworm reappear at the other end of the containers. The best snarled in an almost amused fashion. "Guess the guy who brought this thing figured you guys could beat it after it killed me."

"Well thanks to the jerk here we can't Clock Up and I doubt big and ugly over there is going to let us try and destroy the machine," Caucasus frowned, gesturing to the towering Worm. "Any ideas?"

"Might have one," Decade replied as he drew his newest Final Form Ride card. Opening his Decadriver, he slipped the card inside and shut the device.

"**Final Form Ride: C-C-C-Caucasus!"**

"This might tickle a bit," Decade spoke, pushing his counterpart forward a bit.

"Huh?" was all Caucasus could say before Decade slapped him in the back…and he changed.

The gold Rider folded at the waist as a golden shell emerged onto his back. His head folded underneath the metal shell as a new one emerged from inside the shell before three horns emerged, giving him the form of an atlas beetle. His legs attached to his chest, metal components which had quickly unfolded to become metallic legs. In all, his appearance looked like that of his Zector. Kamen Rider Caucasus had been transformed into the Caucasus Zector.

"Keep him distracted so I can go after the machine," Decade ordered his counterpart. "If he can't use his legs to move then he can't Clock Up!"

"_Got it!_" Caucasus agreed before his shell opened and energy wings came out, providing thrust to send him flying towards the Goliatheraworm. The new Zector made good time as it flew towards the new Worm. The monster in question wasn't going to stay still as it began lashing out with its tentacle-like fingers, trying to swat Caucasus out of the air. However, the Rider turned Zector nimbly avoided the blows, or cut through the tentacles with its three horns. Surging forward, Caucasus collided with the Goliatheraworm, knocking if off its feet and using the momentum to barrel through several containers.

Decade took advantage of the situation by leaping from container to container, getting closer to the machine. He could hear crashes and roars from where his transformed counterpart was doing battle with the worm. So long as he kept it off its feet, and provided it couldn't fly, the new Worm would be unable to go into Clock Up. Considering their situation, making sure it didn't Clock Up was the best way to go in terms of fighting the damn thing. Taking another leap, he landed on top of the platform which held the Clock Down machine. The thing itself didn't seem like too much, but it was definitely complicated. He didn't see any kind of console or switch on it, meaning that the three evil riders had wanted it to stay on indefinitely, probably to make sure that any Riders besides them wouldn't be able to Clock Up

"Well, if there isn't an off switch, then I'll have to make my own!" Decade frowned, drawing a new card and slipping it into his Decadriver.

"**Attack Ride: Blast!"**

Raising his Ride Booker, still in its gun form, Decade took aim at the Clock Down machine and unleashed pure bullet hell on it. The energy bolts collided with the machine, leaving holes in it at every points, some of which went straight through. The machine itself quickly grew unstable as its core components were destroyed. Energy buildup began to occur and when the entire machine began to rattle and groan with energy flying out of the holes, Decade decided that he had shot it enough and started backing up to give it enough space to explode.

"This is gonna be cool," he snickered, the masculine habitual need for explosions proving itself alive and well even in his repressed male psyche.

The machine gave one last groan of resistance from its weakening frame before it went up in a green fiery explosion. Energy crackled while the flames died out, taking the last bits of energy from the Clock Down machine with it. Down below on the ground, the remaining Riders were freed from the machine's influence as their Zectors lost the green glow. Decade took in the sight of his fellow Riders recovering their powers before a loud crash caught his attention. Looking out to where it had come from, Decade eyed his transformed counterpart lifting the Goliatheraworm into the sky, an impressive feat considering how much the monster must weight given its size.

"Okay, enough distraction," Decade nodded as he drew a card and opened his Decadriver. "Time to finish it!" he punctuated the statement by throwing the card into the Decadriver and shutting it again.

"**Final Attack Ride: C-C-C-Caucasus!**"

Flying overhead, Caucasus suddenly released the Goliatheraworm, letting it begin a free fall down to the pavement. Easily speeding past it to the ground, Caucasus quickly shifted back to his natural state. He only looked up to check his positioning before he reached to his Zector.

"**One, Two, Three**" the machine counted off as its buttons were pressed. Caucasus then reset the machine before pulling the horns again. "**Rider Kick!**"

Watching the Worm falling, Decade likewise went into action. Taking a few steps backwards to give himself some space, he took a running charge before leaping into the air. If his positioning was right, he'd strike right where his counterpart was standing. He positioned himself for a flying kick, but didn't have nearly enough momentum to reach where his counterpart was standing. As he began his trip through, the world seemed to slow down around Decade. The Goliatheraworm's descent slowed considerably as did his counterpart's movements. Decade unknowingly entered the Clock Up space, not that he noticed with his target I sight, the area where the Goliatheraworm was going to fall.

Cutting through the air at his mysteriously obtained Clock Up speed, Decade easily reached where his counterpart was. At the same time, Caucasus was moving in a spin, unleashing a tachyon charged kick which would appear to hit Decade while Decade would strike Caucasus at Clock Up speed. When it seemed that they were about to hit one another, the Goliatheraworm fell between the two, taking both blows at the same time. Tachyon energy and the dimensional power which powered Decade were introduced into the Goliatheraworm's body.

"EEERRRAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

The beast bellowed loudly for only a moment. When that moment ended, it exploded in a blast of green fire which spread a fair distance. As the flames died away, Decade and Caucasus could be seen standing in the middle of the blackened asphalt where their enemy had gone out in flames. Neither of them had a scratch on them as they looked to each other before turning to see their fellow Riders approaching.

"Well, we just took down three evil Riders and a butt load of Worms," Decade sighed as he tried to get the stiffness out of his shoulders. "What are we going to do now?"

"We're going to Disneyland!" Caucasus laughed. "C'mon. I'm hungry."

* * *

Sitting on top of one of the containers was the familiar figure who had robbed Yamato and Oda from before. Looking down, he watched the Riders shed their armor before collecting Kurosaki and begin dragging him along. That suited the figure just fine. He had already gotten what he had wanted from the last of the evil trio. Looking down at the case in his lap, the figure grinned as the light danced off the horns of the Kabutech Caucasus Zector.

"And now I've got the whole set," the figure grinned.

* * *

**Bistro La Salle**

It was a happier group which returned to the bistro that evening. The Riders from ZECT save for Kagami had left to deal with Kurosaki and his partners while Yaguruma and Kageyama had made their own exit for parts unknown. So that left Tendou, Kagami, Tendou's students, and Ranma to return. To their pleasant surprise, Kasumi and Hiyori had created a feast for the men who managed to come back safe and sound. It was all generously paid for by Tadokoro and Misaki for services rendered to ZECT in rooting out traitors.

Everyone was having a pleasant time. Eventually, Tendou decided that he was going to cook some appetizers while Hiyori and Kasumi went to chat with everyone. Kagami was by far the most rambunctious of everyone, wanting to celebrate their victory quite loudly. Hiyori and Ranma-Caucasus sat next to each other, but only spoke softly. However, Tendou managed to keep a sharp eye out from his position in the kitchen. Of course, Kasumi insisted she help him, but he politely declined and told her to go have fun.

As the party went on, Ranma sat himself down next to his counterpart and heaved a sigh, "Man, you guys know how to have a party."

"Don't get to do this often since Tendou rarely cooks for just anyone except for Juka and Hiyori," Ranma-Caucasus shrugged. Getting the stiffness out of his neck, he looked to see his counterpart looking apprehensive. "What's up? Thinking about something?"

"A little," Ranma nodded. "It's just…not once have I seen you worry about what the others in Nerima are going to do if they see you here. I mean, whenever I go somewhere I usually have to watch my back for a rival out to kill me, a fiancée out to date me, or the fathers ready to drag my butt to the altar with Akane."

"Yeah, well, a while back after I met Tendou, I learned that as much as I want to save the honor of the other girls, Pop has pretty much ruined any chance of that happening since he listens more to his wallet and his stomach than he does to his common sense," Ranma-Caucasus sighed.

"Amen," Ranma grumbled.

"What it really boils down to is that I have just as much right to decide what I want to do in life as everyone does in theirs," Ranma-Caucasus spoke. "I mean, in Nerima everyone has my life planned around what they want. Shampoo wants me to be her trophy husband who'll give her plenty of strong daughters, Ucchan wants me to become her partner in her restaurant for the rest of my life, Kodachi wants me to be her muscleman, and I don't even know what Akane wants from me. Pop and Mr. Tendo just want me to unite the schools so they can retire early, Mom wants me to give her as many grandkids as physically possible while the rivals just want me dead."

"Sounds about right for my life," Ranma nodded.

"What I figured out since learning under Tendou though, is that despite all of their whining, pleas, threats, tricks and whatnot, it's my choice," Ranma-Caucasus grinned. "They can plan and plot and do what they want, but in the end it's me who decides what they get from me or if they get anything at all. Sort of explains why the Amazons try tricks like they do since they know their brand of bull crap isn't going to win me over."

"Figured that out a long time ago," Ranma nodded. "But what about honor? Does that play into it?"

"The Saotome family honor was destroyed by Pop a long time ago since he figured honor wasn't as important as keeping that bottomless pit of a stomach full," Ranma-Caucasus shrugged. "My personal honor is still intact. Even through all the craziness of Nerima, some of the stunts I pulled and idiot things I've done, I've still stuck to it. Of course no one seems to care about honor so long as they get their way."

"Hmm," Ranma nodded in agreement, remembering just how quick some of the people he knew turned to breaking vows or pulling dirty schemes so long as they were the ones who won in the end. Ranma may have pulled some fast ones in the past, but he never sank as low as some people he knew did. When he thought about it, his counterpart made sense. All those people in his Nerima, their plots and schemes for him, none of them could work unless he actually chose to go along with it. That's why they all needed their tricks, blackmail, potions, and other things to try and force him to agree with them. He was the keystone to everything.

"I'd hate to interrupt," Tendou's voice spoke up, breaking the boys from their conversation as they turned to look at him. "However, I think I have something of yours Ranma."

Reaching into his pocket, he produced a piece of a mirror which didn't reflect the bistro, but somewhere outside. Ranma immediately recognized it as a shard of the Nanban Mirror which he and Kasumi had been using to travel to different worlds.

"I found it in my pocket after I changed back," Tendou explained as he dropped the piece into Ranma's hand. "Something told me that it was meant for you."

"Y-yeah," Ranma nodded.

"Oh my, then I guess we'll have to be going then?"

"BWAH!!" both Ranmas cried, turning around to see Kasumi having somehow snuck on them. It was Ranma who managed to catch his breath first before replying. "Uh…yeah. It seems that way."

"I see," Kasumi nodded. She then took out the camera she had been given in Faiz World before waving in the air. "Everyone! Ranma-kun and I have to get going soon! So we're going to take a group photo to commemorate our visit!"

"Okay!"

"Cool!"

"I suppose."

"Misaki-chan, could you hold the camera please?"

Everyone gathered together on the far side of the bistro. Ranma and his counterpart stood in the middle with Tendou and Kagami on eother side of them. Kira was on the far right while Ryoga was on the far left. Hiyori and Kasumi were kneeling slightly at the front so they could be seen properly. Everyone had smiles (or confident smirks) in place as Misaki held up the camera.

"Say cheese!"

KA-CHACK! KA-CHACK!

Two Polaroid photos were produced and everyone crowded together to see how they had turned out. The images had slowly faded into place…and were not what they had been expecting to see. The people could be seen in the photo, but at the same time, the Kamen Riders of the world could be seen overlapping some of them. Kneeling down in front of the group, but not in front of Kasumi were also Sawsword, Zabee, Kick Hopper, Punch Hopper, and a Rider with large blue eyes and what appeared to be dragonfly wings for a chest plate with its head acting as a shoulder pad.

"Wow, we're all here," Kagami blinked. "Even Daisuke and he didn't even show up for this one."

"Interesting," Tendou pondered.

"I guess that's all we had left to do," Ranma sighed, pacing their copy to Kasumi for safe keeping. Reaching into his ki pocket, he produced the Nanban Mirror. Two shards were in it, reflecting pieces of Faiz and Caucasus instead of Ranma's natural reflection. Bringing up the newest piece, he waited for everyone to get some distance while Kasumi got close. Bringing the shard close to the mirror, it flew from his hand and fastened itself into the mirror. The magical item flashed before a Rider's face appeared as if the mirror hadn't been broken. This one was of a Rider with a black helmet and large red eyes. The eyes and most of the face were covered by a metal grille of some kind. Decorating the helmet was a dragon-like symbol which was on the top of the helmet with its snout touching the Rider's visor and bringing to gold whiskers along the top of the visor.

Another flash of silver blinded both Kasumi and Ranma, making the world turn white to them. After a moment, the blindness faded away, revealing them to be in another part of Tokyo. One of the more modern sections if the modern architecture and all of the polished glass and metal that was on display was any indication. It looked to be pretty clean as well, making the street appear safe and fresh.

"How nice," Kasumi admired.

"I guess," Ranma shrugged, his mind still thinking about the Rider he saw in the mirror…

_Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee_

"Ow!" Ranma cried as he gripped his ears.

"Ranma?" asked Kasumi in concern. "What is it?"

"Can't you hear that?" asked Ranma with a pained grunt.

"Hear what?"

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Chaos.

That was what could have best described the scene right now. It was in the middle of the street in what looked like to be downtown Tokyo, but there was no one around but these thirteen people. All of the signs and billboards around them were strangely written in reverse as well. However, these thirteen people who were fighting in the middle of the street were not just any normal individuals. They were the Kamen Riders of Ryuki no Sekai!

The battle was in full swing as everyone had a target. The imperial Odin was facing off against a rather energetic Verde who kept shouting how he was going to win at the top of his lungs and helping him out was Ohja who seemed to be giving it his all, but Odin was obviously the more experienced out of the pair. Both had drawn their signature weapons, a coiled saber for Ohja and a yo-yo-like weapon for Verde. Odin was simply parrying their attacks with his staff.

The lady Kamen Rider Femme was facing off against Kamen Rider Scissors. The swan Rider would attack and attack, but not once could she landed a hit on the crab Rider. Strangely, the orange-clad Rider wasn't even making an attempt to strike back at her. Instead, he seemed very content to be getting some distance between himself and the feminine Kamen Rider. As the female Rider was about to try her luck again, Kamen Rider Raia leaped from behind and tried to get his licks in which his weapon of choice, a whip. However, Femme wasn't going to make herself an easy target as she saw him in the corner of her eye and managed to get out of the way.

Off to the side, Kamen Rider Gai was running circles around Kamen Rider Tiger. The tiger Rider was swinging with his axe, but the Rhino Rider was proving himself to be agile as well as fast. Gai dodged around another axe strike before he began to go for a charge. Tiger attempted to leap over the heavily armored Rider, but Gai likewise leaped up and both collided in the air, crashing to the ground with grunts and groans.

Kamen Rider Imperer was slowly squaring off against Ryuga, both not wanting to make a move before the other. Imperer had his Spin Vent activated and ready to use while Ryuga had produced his scimitar and was waving it slightly to look threatening. As if by a silent command, both Rider charged, bringing their weapons at each other with a loud crash. Sparks flew from the impact as they ushed off against one another, trying to get the upper hand.

Kamen Rider Knight was keeping himself busy, avoiding shots from Kamen Rider Zolda. The green Rider was keeping Knight far away by taking shots at him. However, Knight wasn't an easy target to hit. He was able to dodge around several shots or deflect them with his large lance. Zolda knew he was stuck since if he stopped shooting, it would give Knight an opportunity to attack.

Walking through the middle of it all was none other than Kamen Rider Ryuki. He was donned in a red bodysuit with a black metal chest plate with a silver front. His armbands and boots were black metal and he had silver sprockets built into his knees, shoulders, and forearms. Around his waist was a silver V-belt with sprockets on the sides with his source of power, his Advent Deck set in the middle. His helmet was an exact match to the one which Ranma saw in the Nanban Mirror. Around his left arm was a gauntlet shaped like a dragon's head which served a special purpose.

Looking around at all the battles, Ryuki seemed to be taking his time on examining all of them. After a few moments of observation, he brought up two fingers on his right hand to his mouth guard out of habit before unleashing a sharp whistle. As he made the whistle, the battle instantly stopped. All of the Riders stopped what they were doing and backed away from one another. Some were short of breath and others seemed hardly winded at all.

"All right everyone," Ryuki spoke up. "You're all doing very good so far. I've been seeing some improvement which is something to be proud of. Next time a Mirror Monster shows up in our turf, they won't know what hit them!"

"YEAAAHHH!!" Several of the Riders called, throwing their fists into the air.

"Okay, we're running out of time," Ryuki nodded, keeping an eye on his internal clock. "Let's get out of here before we dissolve or something." The collected Riders nodded before they started making their way towards various reflective surfaces, each of them vanishing through them like a portal to another world.

To Be Continued…

Next time on Journey Through the Decade!

Ranma: So many Riders!

Kasumi: Oh my!

Verde: I'll fight these monsters with everything I've got!

Ohja: Mustn't run away! Mustn't run away!

Odin: Decade…so you're the destroyer of worlds.

Ranma: Uh-oh….


	6. Ryukiless World

I do not own Ranma, Kamen Rider Decade, Kamen Rider Ryuki, or any of the other anime series which may or may not be mentioned in this fic. This story is written solely for entertainment purposes which I hope you all enjoy.

Journey Through the Decade

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 6: Ryuki-less World

It was a brand new world for Kasumi and Ranma. They had managed to complete what was needed to be done in Caucasus World and had successfully transported into the next Rider world. This one seemed like a metropolis with glass glittering in the sunlight. It looked like a very modern urban centre and definitely was nice to look at as a centre of city life in modern day Tokyo. Of course, looks could be very deceiving in the lives of the Saotome and eldest Tendo.

_Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee_

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Ranma groaned clutching his ears. Ever since he and Kasumi had entered the new Rider World, he had been receiving an assault on his ears that was considerably painful. It was a constant high pitched tone which was on the same level as nails on a chalkboard. It always made a person believe that they wanted to do anything to stop hearing it. However, Ranma seemed to be the only one who could hear the tone.

"Ranma, I can't hear anything," Kasumi frowned, trying to comfort her little brother. "Are you sure it's not just you?"

"I'm sure!" Ranma grunted, trying to block out the noise, but the sound seemed to seep right through his fingers without fail. "Where the heck is it coming from?!"

Ranma looked around frantically for a source. It had to be coming from somewhere! All he could really see were a few people walking on the street or others who were driving by in their cars. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and since he hadn't changed into his Decade armor yet, he didn't have any kind of knowledge on this new Rider World yet. Grunting from the pain, he desperately tried to see something which could explain the noise. Trying to ignore the painful noise, he concentrated on his senses to try and discern the source. It took a moment, but he quickly spotted something moving.

Inside a reflection in a glass door.

"There!" He cried, pointing at the office complex across the street.

"What?" Kasumi blinked, trying to see what Ranma was pointing at.

Before she could try to get Ranma to explain himself, the pigtailed martial artist was already dashing across the street. Dodging a car as he went, Ranma dashed onto the sidewalk and up to the side of the office building where there were large windows on all sides. Peering into the reflection made in the glass, he could see a strange creature running up the stairs. It looked like a humanoid covered in blue and bronze armor. Its head was animal-like with a pair of sharp horns which were pointing straight up and a slightly extended face like an animal. In its hand was a weapon which looked like a pair of blades on one handle. As he got closer to it, the sound that was torturing his ears was getting louder. No doubt about it, the monster was the source of the noise.

The strange monster finally seemed to notice that Ranma could see it. It gripped its weapon tightly and made a direct charge for him with its two blades raised high. Reacting on instinct, Ranma backed away from the glass, waiting for something to happen. To his shock, it did. The monster leaped at the glass from its side, and phased through it as if it were made of water. Landing on the concrete, it made a second leap directly at Ranma with its weapon raised. Despite his shock, Ranma's body reacted, rolling backwards and planting his feet on the monsters chest before using its own momentum to toss it down the stairs and onto the sidewalk with a painful thud.

"Okay, now you've done it," Ranma frowned as he drew the Decadriver and strapped it to his waist. Opening it, he snatched his Decade card and slipped it inside his device with a cry of, "Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!**"

The armor formed over him as the symbols surrounding him morphed into ghostly images that overlapped his body. The red panels flew off his belt and attached to his helmet, filling his armor with color as his eyes flashed green.

"OK, come on!" Decade challenged.

The monster answered the challenged and jumped at Decade, tackling him and pushing him into the reflection of a window as the surface rippled like water. Decade and the creature traveled through some sort of crystal tunnel before exiting out through a window with his opponent, tumbling across the concrete ground. Decade grunted and drove his knee into the gut off the monster, pushing it off him as he rolled along the ground. He gripped his Ride Booker and converted it to Gun Mode. Taking aim, he fired at the monster. The shots caused sparks to fly off the monster's armored hide. He got to his feet and converted his weapon to Sword Mode before charging at the creature. He slashed it repeatedly with his sword, causing it to cry out in pain. It then countered with its staff, striking Decade in the chest. It then jumped at Decade swinging its staff across Decade's face, sending him reeling.

"Alright, if that's how you want to play it!" Decade yelled as he took out a card and activated it in the Decadriver.

"**Attack Ride: Slash!**"

Decade's charged up blade sliced the monster's bladed staff in half. He attempted to go for a finishing slash, but the monster leaped away from the attack. Looking up, Decade was met with the sight of the monster leaping at him by bouncing off the side of the building. The impact of the tackle sent the world traveling Rider stumbling before the monster took another leap, moving out of range again. Decade switched his Ride Booker into its gun form again before taking shots at the leaping monster, but its speed and agility made it easy for the monster to dodge the attacks.

"Great another speed fighter," he grumbled as he stood up. Reaching into his Ride Booker, he drew another card. "Well, I have that beat this time! Henshin!" He then tossed the card into his Decadriver before activating it.

"**Kamen Ride: Caucasus!**"

A field of gold tinted hexagons spread over Decade, transforming his armor into that of Kamen Rider Caucasus. The leaping monster didn't seem all that confused or concerned as it continued leaping around in all directions, coming closer for another strike. D-Caucasus just dusted off his hands before drawing another card. Opening the Decadriver, he tossed the card inside before shutting it again, activating the power in it.

"**Attack Ride: Clock Up!**"

The world went still and the monster seemed to hang in the air as D-Caucasus entered Clock Up. Dashing over to the frozen monster, he took a moment to examine it. It definitely didn't seem familiar to him, but maybe after he managed to get some knowledge from this world from his suit after he changed back he would. Before he could do that though, he had to take care of this thing first. Pulling out another card, this one yellow with the gold Caucasus symbol on it, D-Caucasus threw it into his Decadriver and locked it shut again.

"**Final Attack Ride: C-C-C-Caucasus!**"

Tachyon energy crackled across the gold surface of the armor, dancing between D-Caucasus' horns before surging down into his foot. Heaving a breath, D-Caucasus unleashed a roundhouse kick which struck the monster directly in the torso. The beast promptly exploded into a haze of heat and fire as D-Caucasus' Clock Up ended. Resting his foot back on the ground, D-Caucasus vanished into a haze of red pixels before reemerging as Decade.

Watching the flames vanish, Decade raised an eyebrow as he watched an orb of light emerge from the remains and fly into the sky. Unsure what it was, he simply watched it go without much of a care. Looking around to his surroundings, he found something odd. All of the signs which were posted all had their writing backwards. Everywhere he looked, the words and phrases were all written in reverse. Almost as if he were on the wrong side of the mirror somehow. Any further contemplation on that idea was quickly cut off when he heard a fizzing noise coming from his body. Looking down, He discovered small pixels were rising up from his armor.

"What the-? What's wrong with my suit?"

"You've been in this world too long,"

"Huh?" Decade gaped, whipping around to see who had spoke. To his surprise he saw a man with shaggy dark hair and a strong jaw line. He was wearing a tan trench coat and had his hands in his pockets. His hands were in his pockets and he seemed completely at ease with the empty environment.

"Go, before you vanish completely," the man spoke, pointing at the window Decade had been pulled through. "You can leave where you came in. Hurry."

"R-right!" Decade nodded, not liking the feeling he got from the stranger, but followed his directions anyway. Dashing up the concrete stairs with his armor increasing its fizzing, he spotted the pane of glass which the monster had knocked him through. Dashing, he leaped at the pane, half expecting to crash through it. However, he phased right through the glass and rolled across the concrete. His armor turned gray and was dismissed into its ghostly images, revealing Ranma Saotome underneath and yet again in a new outfit.

He was donned in a simple white shirt with jeans. He was wearing sneakers and around his neck was an identification badge. Stamped on it was his picture and his name identifying him as an intern in a news company called ORE Journal. Sighing and rubbing his arms to get the fizzing sensation off of them, Ranma stood up, finding that no one had apparently noticed his sudden return. That in itself was good. He didn't need anyone asking questions about his sudden appearance. Who knew if people on this world understood Kamen Riders?

"Ranma-kun!" Kasumi's voice called out, causing Ranma to turn and see the eldest Tendo daughter dashing towards him with concern on her face. "Ranma-kun, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I won and managed to do so easily," Ranma grinned. "You'd think some little Gigazelle Mirror Monster is going to beat me?"

"Mirror Monster?" Kasumi blinked, seeing Ranma realize that he knew what the monster that had attacked him was.

"Uh…yeah," Ranma nodded, feeling the information appear in his mind for the third time. Rubbing his head, he tried to explain. "In this world there's an alternate dimension or something which can be accessed through reflective surfaces. Mirror Monsters live there and they come through to eat humans whenever they can. When they do, that noise I was hearing sounds off and calls in the Riders who are supposed to fight them."

"Oh my!" Kasumi gasped. That sounded terrible. "So…do you think what we have to do will involve them?"

"Maybe," Ranma shrugged. Lifting up his pass, he read it over again. "Says here I'm interning at a place called ORE Journal. Sounds like a news company or something. Maybe we can figure out what the deal is with these Kamen Riders or something."

"A good place to start," Kasumi agreed.

* * *

**ORE Journal Office**

It had taken some digging into a phonebook and examining the address which was posted on the back of the pass. Still, they had managed to find the office of ORE Journal. It was an independent paper which was pretty small, but managed to keep up in the times. There were only five members in the office, all of the other 'employees' were freelance reporters and photographers who sold their stories and shots to the paper to help fill up its pages. Of the five members, there were only two reporters. The first was Reiko Momoi who was the senior reporter and very serious about her job. She was very thorough and dedicated to her duties. Below her was Megumi Asano who was still somewhat of a greenhorn to the task of being a reporter, but she did okay. She was also something of a ditz which sometimes got her into trouble, but it was tolerable. The only computer programmer that Ore Journal had was Nanako Shimada, a somewhat nerdy woman with a gift for electronics and was responsible for the ORE Journal website and the paper's computer needs. The man in charge of it all was Daisuke Okubo who was the editor and decided which stories got coverage or was going to go into the next paper. He was sometimes a bit goofy, especially during office parties. Lastly came the lone photographer of the group, Shinji Kido. He was a guy with red/brown hair which reached his shoulders and generally wore cheap clothes. He was an easy guy to get along with even though Reiko sometimes was hard on him since he wasn't as professional as she would have liked. However, the man had a secret which only very few knew about.

Knocking on the door, Ranma poked his head inside the office, "Uh…hello?"

"Hm?" Daisuke frowned as he looked up. The man appeared to look like a regular blue collar worker, but the look in his eyes gave way to the goofball that was underneath that was just itching to come out. Seeing Ranma, his eyes narrowed in an almost comical way as he stood up. "Ranma! Where have you been? You've missed two days of work! Do you know what that means? That means we've had to all go out and get our own coffee!"

"But I had to go get the coffee for everyone," Shinji muttered, casting a concerned glance at the pigtailed martial artist.

"Uhhhhh….," Ranma blinked as he saw the comically enraged boss. "Yeah…uh, it was a…family emergency. Couldn't be avoided."

"Oh," Daisuke shrugged, sitting back in his seat. "I guess that's okay then. Take your seat and help Shinji organize some recent photos he took until we need some coffee again or something."

Ranma nodded as he picked up a spare chair and sat down next to the only other guy in the room. It was easy enough to recognize the guy since Ranma had seen him during his quick trip through nine worlds with Kasumi. However, the guy showed some signs of having recognized him, but perhaps not because of their first meeting. From the sounds of it, there was a Ranma Saotome who worked as an intern in the ORE Journal too. Besides, he had to check if this Shinji Kido guy was the same Kamen Rider Ryuki that he had met when this whole mess had begun. '_Wonder what the other me actually does around here?_' he thought to himself.

"Psst," Shinji whispered to Ranma, catching the pigtailed young man's attention. "Was it _that _kind of emergency?"

"Got a private place we can talk about it?" asked Ranma, hoping no one could hear them.

"The roof," Shinji answered. "Next coffee break."

"Ok," Ranma nodded.

* * *

The coffee beak came and Shinji made an excuse to drag Ranma along. Of course, the pair didn't go to the break room. Instead, they went straight to the roof of the building. Once there, they both decided that it was time for a little talk.

"Okay Ranma," Shinji frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Plenty," Ranma answered, sticking his hands in his pockets. "For one, I'm not the Ranma Saotome that you know."

"Huh?" Shinji blinked. He seemed confused at first, but then his eyes widened as a thought came to his mind. Backing away, he frowned darkly. "Then you're from the Mirror World like the old Ryuga!"

"Not…quite," Ranma muttered, thinking of the very rare human which lived inside the Mirror World and was able to fight off the Mirror Monsters long enough to survive. "Listen, I'm not from the Mirror World and I'm not from this world. I'm from a different world altogether. Have you ever heard the ideas of alternate dimensions and stuff?"

"Well…not outside a science fiction book," Shinji answered, still wary.

"Well, they exist," Ranma answered, doing his best not to look threatening. "The reason I'm here is because I need to see Kamen Rider Ryuki. Last I heard, that's you. Now, are you really Ryuki or did that role get passed onto the version of me in this world?"

"Wha-?" Shinji blinked in shock. Shaking his head, he grew stern again. "How am I supposed to believe you?"

"Gotta admit, I don't have much proof," Ranma sighed. "But something bad is coming down and if I don't stop it, then we can kiss all of our worlds goodbye. The problem is that I need to meet other Kamen Riders to do that and Ryuki is the next one on this twisted road trip I'm on. That's why it's really important that I talk to Ryuki and I need to know if its still you or not."

Shinji frowned, not sure what to think of at the moment. On one hand, this might all turn out to be a trick by a Mirror World version of his friend. However, if it was, he'd have been dissolving long before now. It had been an hour before they were able to get a coffee break and nothing in the Mirror World could survive in the real world for that long. There was also the message that this apparent counterpart to Ranma was talking about. If something as bad as he said was happening, then finding Ryuki would be a big deal. Despite his suspicions, Shinji believed in the good that was within people.

"I used to be," he finally spoke up. "I'm not anymore though."

"Okay," Ranma nodded. "In that case, can you bring me up to speed about what the Riders do in this world? Maybe tell me where I can find Ryuki while you're at it? You seem like you're in pretty deep with this Mirror World stuff."

"Right," Shinji sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I'll start at the beginning then. About maybe…a year ago I suppose, a man named Shiro Kanzaki began a competition using his research to create the Kamen Rider Advent System. He passed out the systems to thirteen people and told them about the tournament. Last one standing gets everything."

"Everything?" asked Ranma.

"A wish for anything they want. It was a fight to the death," Shinji sighed. "Fighting Mirror Monsters only came secondary. The Riders were meant to fight each other."

"What?!" Ranma gaped. "But those Mirror Monster attack innocent people and eat them! Shouldn't the Riders be the ones who make sure the monsters can't eat innocent people?!"

"I thought that too," Shinji nodded, recalling those hellish times. "Eventually though, Kanzaki realized that even if he was trying to save the life of someone very precious to him, the cost was just too great. To that end, I don't know how, he collapsed the Mirror World and somehow reversed time so that it never existed. The Riders forgot they were ever involved with each other and those that died were all brought back to life without a memory of what happened?"

"Then why do you remember?" asked Ranma.

"I'm getting to that," Shinji answered. "A few months ago, the disappearances started up again. Kanzaki and his sister Yui discovered that they didn't collapse the Mirror World, they just sealed it off. It opened up again somehow and the Mirror Monsters were escaping and were completely beyond their control."

"They needed the Kamen Riders again, didn't they?" asked Ranma.

"Yeah, but the majority of the last bunch were people who would have exploited the power for their own ends. New people had to be chosen. This time the Riders weren't going to be fighting each other, but forming a team to take down the Mirror Monsters and make sure that they never hurt anyone ever again," Shinji continued. "Still, they were going to need someone to help them along at least in the beginning. So Kanzaki brought my memories back. That's why I can remember what happened during the last Rider War."

"Okay. So answer me this, who became Kamen Rider Ryuki?" asked Ranma.

"You did," Shinji replied. "Or at least the version of you in this world did. He took to being a Rider like a fish to water. He's very serious about it too. He said that it's a martial artist and a Rider's duty-"

"To protect the weak," Ranma finished. "Yeah. It is. So, what am I like here? Anything I should know before I try meeting him?"

"He's a good guy," Shinji nodded. "He just really needs a break. When he first became Ryuki, met up with the other Riders, taking on Mirror Monsters, the people in his home district weren't too happy about him vanishing all the time. The fiancées weren't happy at all and his rivals were bursting for a fight. All of them seemed to think that he had gone to see some girl on the side. It got so bad he began sneaking through the Mirror World just to get out of the house. What I don't get is why the rivals would be mad about it? Wouldn't that mean the girls they were after would be free?"

"Common sense is severely lacking there," Ranma sighed. It seemed that some things never really changed. "I tell Mousse I don't want Shampoo, pretty much stepping aside for him, and what does he do? He gets mad and attacks me for 'stringing Shampoo along'."

"Anyway, he was getting really tense," Shinji sighed. "So I got him a job as an intern here. It's low stress, the only people he'd have to fight are Mirror Monsters, and the boss doesn't care too often if he wasn't here. He'll accept any excuse unless you're doing a job specifically requested by him. Even then he backs down if you have a good excuse. Essentially, he's being paid to do almost nothing and it also goes to explain where he was going all the time so those fiancées and rivals would back off a little. Man, I have never seen such fickle people. The second you say something they don't like, it's like their ears are plugged and they can't hear anything else but their own voices."

"Preaching to the choir here," Ranma sighed. "So, just where is my counterpart anyway?"

"Uhhhhh…that I don't know," Shinji answered, scratching the back of his head. "You heard the boss. He's been missing for two days and you can guess from everyone's attitudes that it wasn't a world shaking crisis. I was kind of afraid to ask for him at the Tendo Dojo since the middle sister would have sold the information and got everyone frothing at the mouth trying to find them."

"Good call," Ranma nodded. "Do you think you know someone who might know where he might be?"

"Better than that," Shinji nodded. "I know twelve people who might know."

"Twelve?" Ranma blinked.

"The other Kamen Riders and Ranma's team," Shinji clarified.

Ranma blinked again.

---TIME BREAK---

Ranma finally managed to get out of the building since 'his' shift was almost up. In his hand was a sheet of paper with thirteen names and addresses on it. Shinji had told him that it was up to date and that all of the Riders were living at the addresses posted.

"They had better be," Ranma sighed as he walked down some stairs, finding Kasumi sitting on a bench and feeding birds with some bread she had bought recently. "Hey Kasumi."

"Oh, Ranma-kun," Kasumi smiled warmly, turning to her little brother. "Did you find out what we needed to know?"

"A little," Ranma shrugged, looking at the paper. "My other self here is Kamen Rider Ryuki, but he's been missing for a few days. His mentor gave me a list of people who might be able to tell me where he went. They're the other Kamen Riders in this world so if they don't know then I don't know who does."

"So who are we asking first?" asked Kasumi.

"I guess we'll start at the top of the list," Ranma shrugged as he looked at the list. "Says here he's Kamen Rider Knight and he lives at…"

* * *

**Hinata Hot Springs**

"This seems to be the place," Ranma pondered, examining the long row of steps that was in front of himself and Kasumi. "The sign did say Hinata-Sou didn't it?"

"That it did," Kasumi nodded. "But…it said that it was a girls' dorm. Isn't Kamen Rider Knight a man?"

"Judging from the name I'd say so," Ranma nodded, checking his paper again. "Says so right here. Name's-!"

"HENTAI!!!!"

KRACK!!

"Uncute tomboy!" Ranma snapped by sheer reflex before he realized that he wasn't the one being yelled at for being a pervert. "Wait a second…"

"Oh my!" Kasumi gasped, pointing towards the sky.

"It's a guy!" Ranma shouted as he saw a shape descend. His instincts kicked in and he jumped up to catch the guy. "I gotcha." He caught the guy in his arms before landing safely on the ground next to Kasumi. Ranma gently set the man down. He was wearing a dull red button up shirt over a yellow t-shirt with blue jeans and wearing slippers. He looked average, and a bit geeky, with short brown hair and glasses. A noticeable fact was the red fist-shaped mark on his cheek which was healing at a good pace. "You okay?"

"Yeah," the guy answered, groaning. "That happens a lot."

"It does?" asked Kasumi.

"Yeah," nodded the young man. "Thanks Ranma."

"No problem," Ranma nodded, setting the young man down. "So…uh, what exactly happened up there anyway?"

"Ah, I was cleaning the hot springs and suddenly Naru walked in with nothing but a towel on," the young man sighed. "Either she couldn't see it since she wasn't wearing her glasses or Kitsune decided to play a practical joke and take it when no one was looking."

Ranma winced at the thought, having been through something similar…several times. Kasumi had been kind enough to inform him one day that it was a long standing plot of Genma and Soun's to try and induce 'feelings' between Ranma and Akane by hiding the occupied sign for the bath so that one may walk in on the other and see them naked. Of course, Akane always blew her lid and assumed Ranma was being perverted as usual. Ranma was usually left with birds fluttering around his head and wondering why it was so damned hard for Akane to remember to put up one stupid sign. Well, that and wondering how it was his fault when she walked in on him. Kasumi apparently got tired of the repeated failed attempts at inducing lustful love which resulted in property damage so she finally told Ranma about it. She would have told Akane, but the property damage would have been severe.

"I totally understand where you're coming from," Ranma nodded sagely in complete understanding.

"Glad someone does," the young man nodded. "Anyway, why are you here anyway Ranma? I don't see you too often coming my way."

"Ah…that's kind of a story in itself…got a place where we can talk?" asked Ranma, trying to think of a gentle way to drop a bombshell. It wasn't one of the things he was good at…or even competent at times.

"Sure. Aunt Haruka's probably getting slow business today as usual," the guy shrugged. "By the way, who's your friend?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kasumi gasped, quickly recalling her manners in the middle of the excitement. Bowling politely, she introduced herself. "My name is Kasumi Tendo. It's nice to meet you."

"Okay. I'm Keitaro Urashima," the nerdy guy bowed in return. "It's nice to meet you too."

With introductions met, Keitaro began leading them up the flight of stairs and towards a rather peaceful and pleasant café which he claimed his aunt ran.

* * *

**Mirror World**

"Hah!"

Sparks flew off the body of a Brobajell, a gunmetal colored monster with a large dome-like head and electric powers which it used to hunt down its prey to fry them before eating them. Electrodes were attached to its arms which allowed it to channel said electricity at its targets as a weapon. There wasn't much to indicate that it had a face beyond the red sections on the circular panel which was on the front of the dome it called a head. At the moment, this particular monster had been on the receiving end of a nasty couple of hits.

"_Strike Vent!_"

A figure at the other end of the battle area, an underground paring lot, raised his arm as a gout of flame attached to it, revealing a new gauntlet shaped like an animal's head. The Brobajell struggled to its feet, while the figure reared his new gauntlet back, flames beginning to appear on it. The Brobajell crackled with electricity, beginning its own attack. However, the attack was never sent as the figure launched a fireball at the Mirror Monster, sending it flying with an explosion and a shriek of pain. The Mirror Monster landed on the ground before exploding in a fiery mess. An orb of light then shot from the remains into the sky. A roaring sound echoed as a shadow passed overhead, taking the orb away.

Sighing, the figure dismissed his gauntlet. Looking around, the red-eyed figure began walking away from the site.

"Come on guys," he sighed. "Someone has to know I'm here."

* * *

**Hinata-Sou Cafe**

"Wait…hold on…another dimension?" Keitaro gawked openly.

Having been led to the café, Keitaro introduced Kasumi to his Aunt Haruka, a woman who sported short hair which reached to her jawline, an apron for her café over a sweater and simple pants and a cigarette in her mouth. As introductions were made, the lady promptly swatted the glasses-sporting nerd on the head with a paper fan for calling her 'aunt'. Ranma had mistakenly called her his cousin, disbelieving her to be an aunt of anybody save a toddler. That little comment had gotten Ranma a cup of tea on the house. After the excitement had settled down, Ranma had decided to lay all his cards on the table and see what happened.

"What's so shocking about it?" asked Ranma. "I mean, you guys fight monsters from the Mirror World. Isn't that a different dimension?"

"He's got a point there," Haruka nodded with a puff of her cigarette. Naturally Haruka had been wise to Keitaro's 'other job' since he was probably the worst liar out there. It was sheer luck that she had decided to ask him where he kept disappearing to first rather than one of the girls in Hinata-Sou. Although considering their disdain for him in the case of Naru and Motoko, or were just too shy like Shinobu, or didn't seem to notice like Su or Kitsune, it seemed unlikely that they were going to ask anytime soon.

"Yeah, but I didn't think other dimensions existed!" Keitaro gaped.

"Well, they do," Ranma nodded. "Right now I need to find my counterpart. In the last two worlds my counterparts were the ones in the middle of it all. If the trend is holding up, then Ryuki is going to be at the centre of something that's coming and is going to be difficult in taking down, even if there are thirteen of you guys."

"Well, I haven't seen Ranma lately," Keitaro shrugged. "I mean, he doesn't come by often unless he needs tutoring and the last time I saw him was when we were all in a joint training sessions two days ago."

"Well, he's been missing for two days from his job, so that's a starting point," Kasumi commented pleasantly.

"Well, the Nerima district hasn't been leveled by enraged martial artists so I assume that they didn't notice he was gone either," Haruka frowned, knowing of the native Ranma's situation at home. She also knew that save for emergencies, the boy went diligently to work if only to prove that he wasn't like his father. "They probably think he's on a training journey or something. If that's the case then those fiancées are probably trying to track him down so they can 'help' him and prove they're the best choice." Haruka took an agitated drag of her cigarette. She had he unfortunate pleasure of meeting those girls when the ninja servant of the gymnast tracked Ranma to Hinata-Sou where he was getting extra lessons from Keitaro. They had come storming to Hinata-Sou demanding their fiancé as if he were a piece of property and threatening to get violent if they didn't have him immediately. It had taken Haruka three detailed explanations to get the message across that the pigtailed boy was getting tutoring from a MALE friend of his. The reason for the repeats was because whenever she said something that even hinted at Ranma seeing another girl, they set off trying to find her and force her to renounce her claim. It had broken her favorite fan smacking it off of their thick heads.

"Some things never change," Ranma grumbled. "Okay, so I can't check in Nerima or else get caught in that mess again. So I guess we'll have to check with the next person on the list."

"Who is that?" asked Kasumi.

"Lemme check," Ranma commented, pulling out the paper. Reading it over, he found the next name. "Says here that's Kamen Rider Zolda. His real name's Keiichi Morisato. He lives out in Nekomi."

"I know where that is," Keitaro nodded. "Do you mind if I tag along? It's probably not very safe for me at the moment in Hinata-Sou."

"Understatement," Haruka snickered. While it might seem she was playing favorites, getting upset at the girls who battered Ranma around and not the ones who did the same for Keitaro, there was a reason for it. The girls who got mad at Keitaro did it for real reasons. The boy had the worst timing and a deadly clumsy streak which usually got him into the worst situations. Usually it consisted of walking in on a girl in the bathroom, while she's changing, in the bath, or tripping and pulling some article of clothing off. The girls who hit Ranma on the other hand often acted out of petty jealously, insecurity, or just because they lost their tempers, usually finding fault with the pigtailed martial artist for little or no reason beyond convenience. They acted like jealous girlfriends and lashed out for literally any reason so long as it either got rid of rivals or made it seem like Ranma was going to pick them.

"The company would be nice I suppose," Ranma shrugged. "Sure."

"Thanks," Keitaro sighed in relief. "I can take on Mirror Monsters and stuff, but when a girl's mad at me I just can't seem to do anything right."

"Join the club," Ranma sighed in despair.

The group said their goodbyes to Haruka before they began the next leg of their journey. Ranma might have gone for the Machine Decader, but it couldn't fit three people and he didn't want to risk Keitaro's health trying to force it to, no matter how much Keitaro insisted that he took damage well. To that end, they took the train to the proper district and headed out from their. Despite his appearances, Keitaro was an expert city-navigator, having had to find his way back home after some of his tenants sent him hurtling through the air and landing in completely different districts. He even knew some shortcuts which were definitely helpful.

"I think it's this way," Keitaro reported, using a neighborhood section to cut through so to reach Nekomi faster. "Of course, the last time I went this way was through the air since Naru punched me for accidentally pulling down her skirt when I tripped and fell."

"Are you sure it was an accident?" asked Ranma with a frown.

"Yes!" Keitaro cried. "I'm just accident prone!"

"Hey I believe it, but most girls tend to listen with their tempers first in my opinion," Ranma sighed before he glanced to Kasumi. "No offense Kasumi."

"That's all right Ranma," Kasumi smiled. "I'd think the same too if I had to deal with girls like the Fiancée Brigade all the time." Of course, she left it unsaid that since she did have to deal with the fiancée brigade whenever they decided that they were going to visit, and rudely intrude in the process, she did see them as girls who listened to their tempers before their common sense. Frankly, lots of people in Nerima saw them that way.

"So what can you tell me about this Keiichi guy anyway?" asked Ranma.

"Pretty nice guy. He's studying at the Nekomi Tech school and is pretty handy with machines. He wanted to build a motorcycle to live up to the Kamen Rider name, but that was before we found out that if we ride something into the Mirror World, it transforms into a motorcycle." Keitaro explained. "His girlfriend Belldandy is really nice too. They live at a temple with her sisters Skuld and Urd as well. Apparently the priest there went on a pilgrimage and asked them to take care of the place in his absence. At least, that's what he told me."

"Skuld? Belldandy? Urd?" pondered Kasumi as she heard the names. "That's odd. Those names sound familiar to me for some reason."

"Really?" asked Keitaro. "Have you met them before?"

"No…I don't think so," Kasumi denied. "I just heard those names from somewhere before." She frowned in deep thought. She definitely recalled hearing those names from somewhere before. She definitely knew she hadn't met anyone with such exotic names before. Certainly if she did they would have stood out in her mind. No, she must heave heard about them or read about them somewhere before. The confusing part was where she might have heard or read of those names. It was on the tip of her tongue but she just couldn't figure it out. Now shed be trying to figure it out for the rest of the day since she didn't have any kind of chores to keep her mind occupied. Letting her eyes wander, she spied something on an adjacent street which made her blink.

"Oh my! A ninja!" she gasped.

"What?!" Ranma and Keitaro cried, snapping their heads over to see what Kasumi had seen. Sure enough, down the street was a ninja girl in a short dress and obviously dressed for the job if the kodachi on her hip was any indication. However, what she was doing was far from ordinary. A boy in a high school outfit who had shaggy black hair and a white bandage wrapped around his head was pinned to the wall with several shuriken and strangely had a bra strapped around his head which covered his eyes. Odd enough as that was, the ninja girl was cuddling up against the boy, despite his cries of terror and begging her to let him go. For Ranma, it was like when Konatsu came all over again.

"Oi! Ninja girl!" Ranma frowned, beginning to walk over to the couple. "What the heck do you think you're doing?"

"Eep!" the ninja gasped, glancing at Ranma before she leaped away, vanishing from sight.

"AHHH! Don't hurt me! Wait…Ranma is that you?" asked the pinned boy, trying to get the bra off of his face by whipping his head around.

"Uh…yeah," Ranma shrugged, figuring he might as well answer. "You okay?"

"Well enough," the boy gulped. "Can you get me out of here?"

"Yeah. Just give me a second," Ranma nodded as he started tugging the shuriken out of the wall and freeing the boy's limbs. "Just how the heck did you end up in this mess anyway?"

"That ninja girl-saurus just came after me for some reason!" the boy whined, clutching at his face to get the bra off of his head. It was tied on tight, which was probably the ninja's doing in the first place. Female ninjas tended to have a lot of sneaky techniques which involved embarrassing a boy and getting him hurt at the same time. "I managed to find her, but she tossed this thing onto my head and then stuck me to the wall before she started pressing herself against me! I thought I was going to freak!"

"Uh…right," Ranma nodded, pocketing the shuriken for later use.

"Hey Shingo!" Keitaro's voice called out, signaling the ronin's approach with Kasumi not so far behind. He cast a glance at Ranma, recalling that he didn't know the ninja assault victim and decided to try and make things obvious. "I didn't expect to see you in this position. That ninja belong to Akira's family or something? You said her mom was deadly traditional and stuff."

"But why would they send a ninja after this guy?" asked Ranma in confusion, knowing for once that he was missing something important in the conversation.

"Well…uhhh," the now dubbed Shingo gulped while twiddling his fingers. "I might have…accidentally ran into Akira and grabbed her boobs in the impact."

"…yeah, that ought to do it," Keitaro nodded, having heard tales of the Sako family from the nervous young man. "If anything's going to set off someone with a traditional mindset, then it would be something like that."

"I didn't mean to though!" Shingo cried, looking pale with terror.

"Relax," Ranma shrugged. "If you survived the attack then she won't be coming back. Ninjas won't hunt you down unless someone tells them to or you offend them somehow."

"You sure?" asked Shingo hopefully.

"Ranma-kun's been hunted by ninjas before," Kasumi smiled, making Shingo snap to attention at hearing her voice. The trembling boy yelped in fright and backed away from Kasumi, hiding behind Keitaro and Ranma.

"What the-?!" Ranma blinked as he spotted Shingo cowering behind himself and Keitaro, looking pretty scared. "Hey, just what is-?"

"Ranma, I need a word!" Keitaro suddenly interrupted, yanking Ranma to the side and forcing Shingo to cower behind a garbage can as Kasumi watched on in confusion. Pulling Ranma to the side, Keitaro began to whisper to the pigtailed martial artist from another world. "That's Shingo Chiryuu. He's another Kamen Rider."

"Him?" Ranma blinked, looking back at the cowering boy. "You're kidding! The guy's afraid of Kasumi of all people!"

"He's got gynophobia," Keitaro answered simply.

"Gy-ni-what?" Ranma blinked, completely lost.

"He's afraid of women," Keitaro answered. Ranma's eyes suddenly bulged as he looked over to the boy who was finally getting out from behind the trash can and catching his breath. "He's usually not that bad unless a girl pops out of nowhere and surprises him like Kasumi. He's actually getting better too. Usually he'd be cowering behind that garbage can for a lot longer."

"Okay…but how does someone become afraid of women?" asked Ranma. "I mean, I get pounded by girls all the time and I'm not afraid of all girls. Just the ones who pound me."

"Well, from what I've managed to piece together, a girl confessed to him a long time ago, but she was kind of…big," Keitaro winced. Well, morbidly obese would have been a better choice of words, but that would have been rude even if the girl wasn't around. "She stripped down and I guess frightened him and he called for help which ticked her off. She then proceeded to beat him down so hard he was in the hospital for a month. Afterwards he keeps getting reminded of the attack in every girl he sees. Kinda weird since girls seem to keep falling for him."

"Woah," Ranma grimaced. "That sucks."

"Yeah, the other you has been trying to help him out with it," Keitaro shrugged. "He freaked when your curse activated for the first time. You almost broke him. Once you explained it though he got better. He's actually calm about guys who look like girls. Of course his fan club sure didn't like the other you in girl form, thinking he was another admirer. So you should stay in boy form if and or when you meet up with them."

"Okay…so how does he deal with Mirror Monsters?" asked Ranma.

"Well…" Keitaro tried to answer. However…

Conversation was halted as Keitaro, Shingo and Ranma all heard the infamous 'attack warning'. The shrill sound reached only their ears since they possessed the Advent Decks. In Ranma's case, however, it was an ability he gained after entering this world.

"A monster," Keitaro said.

"Let's go then!" cried Shingo. He was hoping for a way to escape the source of his fear for a little while and this was it! Suddenly in a much better mood, Shingo took off down the street. Ranma cast an unsure glance at Keitaro, which the ronin merely shrugged, before they too went after the suddenly upbeat gynophobe. Dashing down the street, the trio came to a stop as they felt the ringing get much more severe. However, with so many points of entry for the monster to choose from, it was almost impossible to guess where the Mirror Monster would be coming from or who it would be trying to eat. Trying to guess where it was going to come from was going to be a headache.

"Chiryuu-kun!"

The three young men turned to see who was talking. Both Ranma and Keitaro blushed at the sight while Shingo shivered in fear. Dashing towards them was a girl around Ranma and Chiryuu's age. She was definitely a looker with a figure many girls would do almost anything for. She had long black hair and Ranma could tell despite her figure, she had some muscle on her. Well, he could tell since the girl's top for her school uniform had apparently been shredded by something. She also had long black hair which reached down her back and despite not wanting to look, Ranma spied a pair of moles on her breast as she tried to cover herself.

"Nishiharu!" Shingo gulped, his fear spiking as the girl came closer.

The trio of boys' eyes widened as the ringing became more intense. For Keitaro and Shingo, that meant that the Mirror Monster was getting closer, if it wasn't about to make an appearance already. Ranma looked around, trying to find the source of the noise and where the monster was going to come from. Glancing around, he spied a broken mirror next to some bags of trash which hadn't been picked up. Glancing, he saw a figure perched on the wall wielding a giant boomerang. Ranma's eyes widened when he saw that it was aiming for this almost topless girl.

"Look out!" Ranma cried, dashing for the girl.

"Huh?" the girl blinked in confusion, seeing the pigtailed boy running towards her.

The broken mirror rippled, catching Shingo and Keitaro's attention at long last. Suddenly, a boomerang burst from its surface, heading straight for the girl, who gasped in fright at what she was seeing. Fortunately, Ranma was able to yak her out of the way, only getting his shirt slightly ripped in the process as the boomerang nicked him. He had been half-expecting it already, but that thing was sharp! Eyeing the boomerang, which he could now tell was a metallic blue and rather aged, explaining the sharp edges. He eyed the twirling piece of weaponry as it sank back into the mirror it had been thrown out of.

"W-w-what was that?!" the girl, Nishiharu if Shingo's cry of terror was any indication, cried out, her eyes wide with shock.

"Nothing!" Ranma quickly answered, patting the girl on the shoulder. ":Listen, you ain't looking too good right now. Why don't you head back and get a shirt on or something and we'll have Shingo help us check out what happened."

"But…" the confused girl mumbled.

"Go!" Ranma frowned, pushing the girl slightly. Reluctantly, the almost topless girl did so. Seeing her pass around a corner, Ranma jogged back to the broken mirror where Shingo and Keitaro were waiting. "Is it still there?"

"Nah. Don't see anything," Keitaro frowned.

"Then we go in after it," Ranma spoke, gabbing his Decadriver.

"Right!" the two boys nodded.

Ranma strapped on his Decadriver, easily opening it and drawing his Decade Kamen Ride card with practiced ease. Keitaro and Shingo both reached into their pockets and produced black plastic cases that appeared to have blue cards on them. Keitaro's had a gold symbol on the front which seemed to be similar to a bat in design. Shingo's was drastically different, having a gold crab image marked on the front. Both young men held the cases up to the glass, marking a reaction. Gray metal belts with a hollow centre and an opening on the side appeared in the reflection. Both belts hovered for a moment before hovering to the boys' reflections and attaching to their waists.

"Henshin!" the teenagers cried out. Ranma slipped his Decade card into his Decadriver and shut it while Shingo and Keitaro slipped the cases into their belts, activating a light on the top of said belts.

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!**"

The nine familiar images appeared behind Ranma in a straight line before converging on him, creating his Decade armor. The red panels then flew fro his belt and attached to his helmet, filling the armor with color. Shingo and Keitaro's changed occurred when black and white images of their armor appeared on both side of them and converged on them, covering them in their unique gear. Keitaro was covered in a dark bodysuit which had sockets on his knees and shoulders. His chest armor was silver and segmented, giving an appearance of a bat. Strapped to his waist was a black rapier which had a bat-shaped guard which served as his card reader. His helmet was black with a silver visor styled after a knight's and the mouth guard had markings like fangs on it. Shingo was donned in a black bodysuit with an orange chest with a silver patch in the middle. His shoulders were styled to look similar to crab legs. On his left arm was a pair of shears which served as his main weapon. His helmet was plainly orange with a pair of dark eyes as a visor with a silver mouth guard. The top of his helmet was decorated with antennae similar to crab eye stalks complete with green tips.

Kamen Rider Decade looked to Kamen Riders Knight and Scissors, "Let's go!"

With that, the trio of Riders dove into the mirror, phasing through it to enter the Mirror World.

Three Ride Shooters shot out of the mirror. The three machines hit the pavement and skidded to a stop. With a metallic hiss, the canopies opened up to reveal the three Kamen Riders. Knight and Scissors quickly stepped onto the road while Decade got up, admiring the machine.

"Didn't have this last time I went in," Decade commented. "I wonder why."

"We're not sure either," Knight shrugged. "Some of us think that the Mirror World drifts closer or farther from outs since it's an artificial dimension or something. None of us are experts and the guy who got us together isn't that forthcoming with the details"

"Can we just go monster hunting now?" asked Scissors. "And just why are you in a different suit of armor anyway Ranma?"

"It's…a long story," Decade shrugged…before he saw a swirling blue weapons flying towards them. "Hit the dirt!"

To their credit, neither Kamen Rider questioned the order as they ducked. Decade did the same, all three avoiding the boomerang as it passed overhead and returning to its owner. The Mirror Monster who owned the weapon turned out to be covered in a metallic blue carapace. It had a large mouth filled with jagged teeth and long antennae which reached down it back. The monster made a chattering noise as it waved its bladed boomerang around threateningly. The beast stood at the end of the street, ready for a fight.

"Found it," Scissors grunted.

"A Zenobiter too," Decade frowned.

"You know what it's called?" asked Knight.

"My armor supplies me with information," Decade answered. "Enough about me though. Let's take this thing down!"

"You just said the magic words!" Scissors cried, reaching to his belt and pulling a card out. The card depicted a large crab-like claw that had light gleaming off the edges, indicating its sharpness. His Scissors Visor activated by the blades of his shears coming together, revealing a chamber underneath the base of his weapon. He placed the card inside the weapon and allowed the chamber to close.

"_Strike Vent!_" the weapon cried out. Scissors raised his arm as an object came down from the air. The object attached to his arm, revealing it to be a giant orange claw similar to that of a crab. The inside of it was bladed, revealing it to be a rather odd, but apparently effective weapon. Laughing, Scissors charged for the Mirror Monster.

"He's really into this," Decade blinked. "I'd have figured a guy like him would be cowering by now."

"Well…the sad thing is that he thinks girls are way scarier than a Mirror Monster," Knight sighed.

To his personal credit, Scissors seemed to know what he was doing. He slashed at the Mirror Monster with his Scissors Pincer while keeping his guard up with his shears. The Zenobiter wasn't one to lay back and take abuse though. Snarling, it swerved around Scissors' attack and slashed at him with its bladed boomerang. Scissors took the hit to his shoulder, forcing him to stumble and loose his footing. The Zenobiter's wide mouth shifted to a grin as it charged to press its advantage.

"**Attack Ride: Blast!**"

Before it complete that attack, several red energy bullets impacted against its side, making it squeal as sparks flew off its armor from the impacts. Stumbling away, the Zenobiter was further wounded when Knight leaped over the downed Scissors and slashed at its torso with his sword. The impact sent the Zenobiter sprawling and seeing tars from the impact. Decade was already at the orange Rider's side, yanking him to his feet.

"Did we learn something from this?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, I know. Don't go in alone," Scissors sighed. "But you guys had my back so I figured it was okay!"

"This time it was," Deade frowned.

"A little help here would be nice!" Knight's voice cried out, snapping the Riders out of the teacher and mentor moment. Looking over to the black-clad Rider, they could see that Knight was struggling against the Zenobiter's blade. Their weapons of choice were pressed against each other in a battle of strength and stamina. Stamina was something that Knight had, if what his constant beatings at the hands of his tenants and amazing recovery time indicated was true, but strength was definitely something he lacked even in his Rider armor. As such, he was slowly being pushed back by the eager Zenobiter.

"I got it!" Scissors replied, dashing forward. Reaching to his belt, he drew another card. Snapping open his shears, he slipped the card inside before snapping the chamber shut again.

"_Final Vent!_"

A pane of reflective glass rose up from behind Scissors before a new Mirror Monster emerged from it. This one was humanoid in that it stood on two feet, but that was the only human quality it had. It was covered from head to toe in orange carapace that looked like it could match steel. Its chest was white and looked like it was assembled in pieces. Its arms ended in a pair of large vice-like clamps which seemed to match the one Scissors had been using until he needed to draw a new card. Its head was a dome of orange carapace with a pair of green eyes standing out against all of the metallic orange. Mirror Monster Volcancer was ready to rumble.

"Hup!" Scissors huffed, leaping into the air. Volcancer halted beneath him, holding his pinchers together. Scissors landed on the appendages with ease and crouched for another ump as Volcancer added his own strength to the motion. With a grunt, Scisssors was tumbling through the air, looking somewhat like an orange cannonball that was aimed at the struggling Knight and Zenobiter. Looking up, Knight spied the approaching orange projectile and realized that he had to move fast. Lashing out with a kick, he caused the Zenobiter to double over, having the wind knocked out of it. Knight then made tracks as fast as he could, not wanting to be near the impact sight.

Scissors came barrelling down, much like a cannonball before he crashed into the Zenobiter. The Mirror Monster let out a loud gurgle of pain before it exploded into a fiery haze. Decade looked on as Knight caught his breath, both concerned if their orange-clad comrade was going to be okay. The flames from the Mirror Monster's death didn't last long before the burned out, revealing Scissors kneeling on the ground, shaking his head. Trapped under his arm was a glowing orb of energy which Decade remembered seeing come from the remains of the Gigazelle that he had wasted when he first arrived on this world. "Just what is that?"

"It's the core of the Mirror Monster," Knight explained as Scissors turned to the approaching Volcancer. "All of the energy which the Mirror Monster possessed is in that orb. Mirror Monsters who eat that orb get stronger. It also keeps them fed and prevents them from eating humans." Decade nodded as he watched Scissors hand the orb over to Volcancer, who absorbed it in a flash of light. Satsified, the crab Mirror Monster sauntered off for parts unknown.

"Okay, that's that I guess," Scissors shrugged. "So what's going on anyway? Why are you wearing a different suit of armor Ranma?"

"That's...a long story," Decade sighed.

* * *

The red figure sighed, leaning against a building in the empty street. It had felt like forever since he had seen another living person. Maybe this was how the Lost Boy felt at times when he was wandering in the middle of nowhere? He wondered what all of his friends back home were doing. Probably diligently going about their duties he hoped. He saw the battle areas where scorched earth and Mirror Monster remains were. Thankfully, he wasn't starving as he explored the Mirror World. He had learned that as long as his Mirror Monster contract was fed, then he wouldn't need to worry about feeding himself. The energy flowed into him as well, keeping his body energized and ready for another day.

He just didn't know how many days he had left.

* * *

**Real World**

"So....another dimension huh?" Shingo blinked, rubbing the back of his head in disbelief. "Well, considering we go fighting monsters from another dimension, it isn't that hard to believe I guess."

"Yeah, it is kind of hard to believe, but it's true," Ranma nodded. "So, while we're on the subject, have you seen the other me around?"

"Uhhh...nope," Shingo denied, shaking his head. "Honestly, I haven't personally seen him for about two or three days. Not since our last training session and his last visit to help me get over my phobia. Nishiharu and the others weren't happy to see him in his girl form so after we finished, he said he'd let them cool off for a few days before we got to the next session."

With a victorious return from the Mirror World, Ranma had explained the situation to Shingo. He had taken the story reasonably well, but nothing seemed to faze him much except for girls. That much was true as he tried to keep a maximum distance away from Kasumi at all times. The eldest Tendo wasn't really offended by the gesture since Keitaro had explained it to her, but she felt bad and wanted to try and help the poor high school student. However, he kept shivering and backing away every time she took a step closer.

"Excuse me," said woman spoke up. "Forgive my curiosity, but what exactly does the Ranma-kun of this world do to help you get over your fear?"

"Ah, well," Shingo blushed slightly. "What he'd do is hang out with me in girl form wearing clothes that made it pretty obvious that he was a girl at the time. Get me used to having a girl at close range you know? Of course, my friends at school think I have a hot little redhead as my girlfriend and the girls in the boxing club are doing everything they can to find out who she is so they can learn about the competition."

"Do all girls get so competitive when it comes to boys?" Ranma blinked, still unsure about the methods his alternate self was using to cure Shingo of his fear. Then again, who better to do it than a girl who is really a guy? "And just why are you blushing anyway?"

"No reason!" Shingo cried, flailing his arms. "It was just nice to have a girl around who I didn't have to worry about beating me up or doing something to trigger my fear, you know?"

"...I guess I can buy that answer," Ranma frowned. Despite Shingo's obvious fear, Ranma could tell that he was still attracted to girls but he was too afraid to do anything about it. It reminded Ranma of his own girl problems and his reasons for never getting close to any of the girls he knew, which mostly amounted to being trapped in either a village in China, a restaurant, a mansion, or a dojo for the rest of his life. The places themselves weren't bad, but would have meant being a second-class citizen, expected to be a subservient husband, a drugged up boy toy, or dealing with an uncute tomboy's uncontrollable temper for the rest of his life.

"Anyway," Keitaro spoke up. "We're heading over to Keiichi's to see if he's heard anything from our Ranma. Feel like coming?"

"Uhhhh...no thanks!" Shingo answered quickly with a slight panic in his voice. "Belldandy may be okay, but Urd and Skuld are scary! Besides, I'm gonna be late for school!"

Taking off like a shot, the two remaining Kamen Riders and their female friend watched the gynophobe make a break for the distance. If he was running from the idea of more girls being around or just because he was late, they didn't have any clue.

* * *

The red figure wasn't the only being to be sulking around the Mirror World. This dark figure leaned over a railing, watching the world go by in reflections all across the reflected city. All of them were fools. They had no idea what dangers lay before them. Just a mirror away was a world of monsters that could come out and snatch up anyone who was caught off guard. Well, if the ungrateful sheep couldn't be bothered to care about the people around them, then that was just fine. There were bigger problems to deal with.

Namely those murderous scumbags, the Kamen Riders.

* * *

**Nekomi**

"Oh my, this is such a nice place," Kasumi admired.

The trio had arrived in Nekomi and quickly located the temple that the fourth Kamen Rider supposedly lived in. It was actually easy enough to find since it was situated on top of a hill and surrounded on all sides by a stone wall. Past the front gate was a very humble, but beautiful property with lush green grass and healthy vigorous trees. The temple buildings all looked like they were in pristine condition and very well-kept. Despite it being sacred ground, it had a very homely feel to it.

"Yeah. It is a peaceful place," Keitaro nodded. "All of us usually have meetings here or just like to hang out here when we feel like its all getting too much sometimes. The other Ranma spends a lot of time here and Belldandy loves having guests over."

"Speaking of her, do she and her sisters know about...?" Ranma asked, trailing off purposefully in case someone was listening.

"Oh, they know all about it," Keitaro reassured his new friend. "You just can't lie to Belldandy and she never keeps a secret from her sisters."

"Must be some lady," Ranma idly commented as the trio reached the door. Being the one in the lead, Ranma reached up and knocked on the door. There was silence for a moment before the padding of feet sounded off. A moment longer and the door opened. Standing at the door was a young girl with long black hair. She had bright blue eyes and was wearing a strange pink and red outfit that was a little of the fashionably exotic side. Ranma blinked at the girl for a moment, but he could have sworn he saw blue marks on her face.

"Uh...hi," Ranma greeted. "Listen, is-"

"URD!" the little girl shouted into the house. "Your boyfriend's here!"

"Boyfriend!?" Ranma looked to Keitaro for an explanation but didn't get much when an older woman with the looks of a supermodel, tanned skin and long silver hair suddenly appeared and pulled Ranma into a hug. It was then that Ranma discovered just how shapely she was and how...developed, her womanly attributes were. The beautiful woman pulled back for a second to take in Ranma's appearance, looking somewhat distressed and relieved at the same time. For a second time, Ranma spied blue marks on the woman's face, but he didn't get much time to consider it before the woman pulled him into a passionate liplock.

"Mmmm!" the woman sighed softly, enjoying the kiss. Leaning back for a gulp of air, she frowned at Ranma. "Just where the heck have you been?! It's been two days and you just dropped off the map! I was worried sick about you!"

"I...uh...well...um...," Ranma blinked, totally blown away by the kiss. It was nothing like the lustful grabbing Shampoo gave him as a kiss of marriage. This was a passionate and definitely loving kiss...and it totally fried his nervous system.

"Oh my!" Kasumi gasped, blushing at such a public display of affection.

"Um...Urd?" Keitaro spoke up. "Sorry to disappoint you, but this isn't the Ranma you're currently dating."

"D-d-d-dating?" Ranma sputtered out, his mind still reeling.

"What do you mean not my Ranma?" the tanned woman, Urd presumably, frowned. Apparently she didn't hear Ranma's panicked questioning. "He looks, talks, and feels like my Ranma. Heck, he's just as shy as him too. Don't tell me he got tangled up with that stupid magic mirror that makes clones again."

"Uh...no," Keitaro chuckled weakly, finding amusement in seeing Ranma's brain being fried, but didn't want to get Urd upset. She got scary when she was mad and he knew all about girls when they got mad. It was never pretty. Urd just took it up to near divine levels somehow. Thankfully, she only got mad for the best of reasons these days, usually when someone messed with her sisters or her boyfriend. "Are Keiichi and Belldandy home? I'd rather explain this with everyone here."

"What do you guys want with Onee-sama now?" the little girl finally spoke. "Is this about those Mirror Monsters again?"

"It might be," Keitaro answered. "We don't know yet though."

The girl huffed before waving for the people to come in. Urd managed to drag Ranma inside as well, not totally convinced that the Ranma she was latched onto wasn't her missing boyfriend. The group entered the main living room where two more people were sitting. The first was a boy in a white t-shirt and jeans. He had messy hair and looked to have black oil stains on his shirt, indicating what his choice of profession was. Next to him, sharing cups of tea was a girl who was older than the black-haired girl, but younger than Urd. She had long brown hair which was kept tied back in a messy ponytail and she wore a simple housedress with an apron. She had bright blue eyes and the gentlest smile Ranma had ever seen. There was also the flash of blue marks on her face like Urd and the smallest girl. If anything, this girl reminded him of...

"I think we found your long lost sister Kasumi," Ranma blinked, speaking bluntly.

"Oh, hello Ranma-san," the brunette smiled happily. "Would you and your friends like some tea? I just brewed some. Or are you taking Urd out for another date? She was very worried about you, you know. We couldn't find you anywhere."

"Yeah, just how did you pull that off anyway?" asked the boy, seeming genuinely curious. "I mean, Beldandy and her sisters are _very_ good at finding people if they want to."

"Well, that's kind of a long story," Ranma sighed, taking a seat while trying not to let Urd grope him too much. The girl was as clingy as Shampoo, but a lot gentler when going about it. Sighing, attempted to slip out of the tanned woman's arms. "Urd was it? Could you let go please?"

"Aww," Urd pouted, reluctantly letting go of whom she thought to be her boyfriend. Despite his normal reactions to girls clinging to him like limpets, Ranma found the contact with Urd slightly comforting, but he knew he shouldn't take advantage of it. She wasn't his girlfriend after all.

"Okay," Ranma sighed. "Like Keitaro said at the door, I'm not the Ranma you guys all know. He's been missing for two days now. My name is Ranma Saotome, otherwise known as Kamen Rider Decade. I come from a different dimension and I'm here to talk to my counterpart about something."

"Really?" the little girl suddenly spoke up, excited sparkles in her eyes. "That's so cool! I've been working on quantum mechanics, but I've never seen it in action before!"

"Oh my!" the brunette gasped, eerily similar to Kasumi. "Oh we must make introductions then. My name is Belldandy and these are my sisters. The little one is my younger sister Skuld and the older one is my big sister Urd."

"So, you're really not my Dragon Knight?" asked Urd, not giving Ranma a chance to reply. She looked oddly disappointed, but not quite angry yet like he had seen the fiancées become when someone tried being romantic with them or they were hitting on the wrong person.

"Sorry," Ranma apologized. "I was going to tell you, but you then started...you know...," he finished with a bright blush. The sight only caused Urd to giggle. The boy may not have been her Ranma, but he definitely was Ranma. Well, since he technically was Ranma and she hadn't given him time to explain, she'd let him off the hook. Besides, how many people could claim they've kissed someone like Urd, Goddess of the Past?

"I guess I should continue then," the boy smiled awkwardly. "My name's Keiichi Morisato. Since you're a Kamen Rider too, then I can say that I'm Kamen Rider Zolda. I assume the woman next to you is Kasumi Tendo?"

"That's right," Kasumi nodded. "How did you know?"

"Tendo-san has visited here in the past," Belldandy answered with a smile. "She's very nice company."

"Oh my, thank you!" Kasumi giggled.

"You two have to be sisters," Keitaro blinked. There was no other way two people could be so much alike unless they were related. Even when both heard the comment they broke out in musical giggles which further revealed how much alike they were. Ranma, despite how amazed the two girls were, decided to ask something which was bugging him.

"So, how did you get roped into this?" he asked Keiichi. "I mean no offense, but you don't seem to be the type. Keitaro has his family martial arts training if what he said is true and Shingo's been training as a boxer. You though..."

"I know. I don't seem to be the fighting type do I?" Keiichi laughed. "Well, to be honest, if there's something worth fighting for, then anyone can pick up the fight. I kind of learned that lesson when a Mirror Monster tried to eat Belldandy..."

--FLASHBACK--

_Keiichi was reading over his mechanical textbook, but his mind wasn't into it. Yesterday, a strange man stepped out of his bedroom mirror and told him that the world was being attacked by monsters that lived on the other side of the looking glass. The man said he would be able to fight them and handed over a green card case with a gold bull symbol on the front. He explained how to use it and that he would know when the time was right. After which the man vanished into the glass again. Keiichi had spent the rest of the night awake, wondering if it was true. He lived with goddesses so he was inclined to believe anything was possible. Thanks to that, he didn't get much sleep._

_Belldandy had been slightly worried about him and confined him to his room so to get extra sleep. He still wasn't tired so he tried reading. Said Goddess of the Present had brought him lunch to eat when he began hearing it. A strange ringing noise that hurt his ears. He didn't have a clue as to what it was, but got his answer fairly quickly. The answer came in the form of a blue tentacle which lashed out of his bedroom mirror and wrapped around Belldandy's ankle, frightening her before attempting to pull her into the glass._

"_Belldandy!" Keiichi shouted as he grabbed onto his girlfriend and pulled her away from the tentacle that was coming out from the mirror. The goddess was shocked by what'd happened. Never in her life had something had attacked her from beyond the mirrors. They were always so safe for her to travel with. Urd and Skuld came crashing into the room. No doubt they thought that Keiichi was going to try something on Belldandy, but the tech student didn't care. If this wasn't the moment that the mirror man was talking about, he didn't know what was!_

_Keiichi glared at the mirror and thrust out his green Advent Deck. A belt appeared in his reflection before appearing on his waist in the real world. Looking at Belldandy, Keiichi promised, "I'll explain everything later." He then called out, facing the Mirror, "Henshin!" He slid the deck into the hollow belt buckle and locked it in. monotone images converged onto his body before enveloping him in the green and silver armor of Kamen Rider Zolda. He looked to Belldandy who was gaping at him. Skuld saw the transformation and her jaw had dropped. Urd was stunned but appraised Keiichi's new armoured form, saying something about Keiichi finally looking like a knight in shining armour._

_Taking a deep breath, Zolda then entered the rippling surface of the mirror straight into the Mirror World._

--END FLASHBACK--

"Sent us all for a loop that day," Keiichi nodded.

"I still want to examine that deck," Skuld huffed.

"You'd just end up breaking it and Keiichi needs it," Urd commented, snickering at her youngest sister. "Otherwise that Magnugiga thingy would try to eat him and nobody wants that."

"What did you say?" Skuld frowned, giving a look which reminded Ranma of Akane when she was about to whip out her mallet. Obviously Skuld and Urd didn't have the most loving of relationships.

"Urd, Skuld, please behave," Belldandy admonished gently, miraculously ending the impending catfight before it even began.

"Anyway," Keitaro spoke up. "This Ranma says he's on a mission to save all the worlds from fusing together into some kind of mega world where a Rider War will destroy it all. To do that he needs to find our Ranma and team up with him against something. Problem is that everyone we've asked so far hasn't seen him anywhere and he can't go to Nerima since everyone will be on his case thinking he's our Ranma."

"Understandable," Belldandy nodded. "Unfortunately, we haven't seen Ranma-san lately either. Urd tried looking for him herself and hasn't been able to find him. She's very worried."

"Da...darn straight," Urd nodded, remembering not to swear lest kami-sama send down a message and blow their secret out of the water. He wasn't very subtle sometimes.

"So, that's why we need to find him," said Kasumi. "Do you know where he was the last time you saw him?"

"Last time I saw him was...during our last joint training session," Keiichi offered after a moment of thought. "About once a week, Ranma calls us all up and has us do training together in the Mirror World. It lets us spar and test each other and compare notes on different Mirror Monsters we may have faced during the time between spars. Some of those things can be pretty tricky."

"And you haven't seen him since the last one?" asked Ranma.

"Nope. Sorry," Keiichi sighed. "Nothing seemed to be wrong with him though. We talked about what's been going on in each others' lives. I mean, he is dating Urd and I guess he wanted to know how she was doing. I think he might have been trying to set up their next date or trying to find out when her birthday was so he could get her a present."

"That's my Dragon Knight," Urd smiled fondly. Ranma saw the smile on the tanned woman's face and felt a surge of envy. Each of his counterparts had a girl they were honestly interested in and in relationships or were at least trying to get in a relationship with. If the Fiancée Brigade were half as mature as Smart Lady, Hiyori, or Urd, he probably wouldn't have been so quick to try and run away from each of them. Then again, if they were mature like his counterparts' love interests, they probably would have tried to figure out a way to settle the whole fiancée problem in the first place instead of just trying to beat the rivals up like he would magically leap into the arms of the winner.

"Anything he mentioned about happening in Nerima?" pressed Ranma, pushing the envy down.

"Umm," Keiichi frowned, trying to remember the conversation. "His father tried to force him to quit his job at ORE Journal again. Something about how he doesn't need a job when he's going to run the dojo after marrying that Akane girl who keeps pounding him. I've seen that girl in action and only a complete lunatic would want to marry her!"

"One does," Urd snickered, remembering the crazy Kuno boy who fancied himself a samurai. Honestly, she'd wooed real samurai in previous incarnations through history and that boy didn't come close to any of them.

"Ummm, that Chinese girl tried a love charm to force him to love her, but the other fiancées heard about it and tried to steal it for themselves to use and ended up breaking it," Keiichi muttered as Ranma chuckled at the news. "And...he got sick from Akane's cooking again. I think the hospital is trying to contact the people in charge of biohazards to try and make her stop cooking since he's been in the hospital seven times to get his stomach pumped."

"Sounds like an average week to me," Ranma sighed. "So he didn't mention anything else?"

"Nah. Just the usual rival and fiancée hijinks in his words," Keiichi answered. "Sorry I couldn't be much more help."

"Actually, this is good," Ranma reassured the tech student. "It lets me now that for whatever reason he's gone, it's probably not because something new happened in Nerima. Would he let you guys know if he was on a training trip?"

"He'd let me know!" Urd called out, crossing her arms under her chest.

"Oh my, you two are that close?" asked Kasumi with an impish smile. Seeing Urd nod confidently, she continued. "So how did you managed to catch the wild horse that so many other girls have tried and failed to do?"

"Oh, I didn't catch him," Urd practically purred as she recalled the memory. "He came to me."

"What's the story then?" asked Ranma, interested. He wasn't one for gossip between girls, but he was hoping for at least a few tips on how to figure out when a girl was really interested and not obsessing over him for honour or tribal laws.

"Oh, it was just any other day when I saw my man in red for the first time," smiled Urd, musing.

--FLASHBACK--

_Urd yawned in boredom as she walked through Nekomi, trying to find something interesting to do. Usually she'd be trying to find some way to get her little sister and Keiichi together in the sack, but Belldandy had been...upset about the last attempt. Okay, so she mixed the love potion wrong and instead had every woman within fifteen feet of Keiichi fall hopelessly in love with him. The guy would have gotten a ton of experience if that had turned messy. Still, it had hurt Belldandy's feelings since she had thought Keiichi had found someone else until the truth came out. If anyone could make Urd feel guilty about the stunts she pulled, it would have to be Belldandy. So, Urd was out looking for something to do and maybe find something to use as a peace offering to apologize to Belldandy with, even though the middle sister probably would forgive her if she just apologized honestly. It was a concept which wasn't hard for a goddess, but Urd was part demon on her mother's side so apologies sometimes came difficult to her._

_Still, she was curious as to the new look Keiichi was sporting these days. She had him pegged as a wuss for the longest time, but after seeing him transform into that suit armour and vanish into a mirror, she was wondering if she was wrong. After he came back, he explained everything about what had happened. Kamen Riders, Mirror Monsters, a Mirror World, it all made her head spin. Since when could mortals do stuff like that? Of course, it definitely put him up a few notches in both her and Skuld's books since he had managed to rescue Belldandy from the freaky monster that had tried to eat her. Still, Skuld was bugging the poor guy to no ends to examine his means of transforming. Whenever Skuld saw some new machine, she always wanted to take it apart so she could see how it worked. It was one of the constants with her._

_"What to do?" she pondered. She could always hit up a bar and see what was going on there. Maybe if she was lucky there'd be a good looking mortal she could flirt with. While her dating record wasn't the best, always picking up losers like Troubador, she enjoyed the flirting game. She was a Goddess of Love after all. (Actually she was the Goddess of the Past according to her license, but she was an expert in the romance department so why not add that to her resume?)_

_As Urd was walking past a store window, with the street being oddly quiet, all of a sudden the surface of the glass rippled and something fell out of it and straight into her. She fell on her back and noticed a weight on her. She shook her head to get the stars out of it and see what was on top of her. What she saw was a man in a red bodysuit with black and silver armour and a helmet with a grilled visor that concealed his identity. A groan from inside the helmet indicated that he had probably been knocked for a loop before he went flying into her. After a few seconds the armour disappeared like Keiichi's did when he exited the Mirror World. In this case, it was by shattering into red shards as opposed to Keiichi's green. Could this guy be another Kamen Rider?_

"_I landed on something soft," the pigtailed boy mumbled in his half-consciousness as his hand grasped one of Urd's breasts. While Urd would usually be offended by someone groping her without permission, she decided to give the half-conscious young man the benefit of the doubt and assume that he didn't know where he had landed beyond how soft it was. She still had to fight her first instinct to pound the guy though. Nonetheless, if he had leaped through just to end up in this situation though, then he was going to become the first living lightning rod in Nekomi._

_It took only a moment for the pigtailed Kamen Rider to recover his senses, but recover them he did. When he looked up and realised what he was doing, he scrambled away and apologized, bowing. The boy looked downright panicked at finding his face buried in her cleavage and grasping her breast. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"_

"_Relax!" Urd reassured the panicked young man while sitting up. She quickly got up to her feet and dusted off her clothes, finding no damage. "No harm, no foul, right?"_

_The pigtailed boy blinked. She wasn't about to hit him into the stratosphere? In his experience, woman tended to get violent_ _when anything perverted was being done to them. Even the fiancées didn't like it and from what he understood, since he was engaged he was allowed to do those things...not that he believed those pervs at school as they tried to convince him to 'tap' the girls of the Fiancée Brigade. Whatever that meant. "Huh?"_

"_Geez, you act like you're scared of women," frowned Urd. She then got a good look at him and smiled. She had to admit that he was pretty cute. If he was afraid of women then that would be a downright tragedy. Still, either way, her afternoon was starting to look up. A cute guy she could take interest in had quite literally been tossed into her arms. Maybe this was something her father planned. He did work in mysterious ways after all._

"_Well, my experience with women hasn't been good," the mysterious man confessed, rubbing the back of his neck as he stood up. "Actually, you can say it's been pretty bad."_

"_Maybe you haven't found the right one, Mr. Kamen Rider," said Urd, smirking. Oh she could just taste all of the ways she could help this poor guy out if his luck really was that bad._

_The guy stared at her, wide-eyed, "How do you know about Kamen Riders?"_

"_So, I was right," said Urd, snapping her fingers. The pigtailed guy blanched, probably realizing that he had blown his secret in a big way. "And as to how I know, I'm living with another guy who's a Rider. He's green. Calls himself Zolda." She then wrapped her arms around his right arm, suggesting, "How about I introduce you?"_

_"Um...s-sure," the guy gulped._

_Urd giggled. So he was the shy type eh? What fun!_

--END FLASHBACK--

"I remember that," Keiichi nodded. "Ranma had gotten tossed out of the Mirror World by a Shieldboarder since it blocked his Final Vent and used the recoil to toss him away. He and I teamed up to take it down since I had the firepower to destroy the shield."

"So that's how you met," Kasumi smiled. "Sounds about right for Ranma's life."

"No kidding," Ranma chuckled, easily identifying with.

"I liked teasing him then," Urd nodded, but her face seemed to grow a bit darker as she seemed to remember something. "I just didn't realize how bad it really was for him. My teasing probably didn't help much. Him being so unsure around women even if he wouldn't admit it. It wasn't until later that I finally got the picture."

--FLASHBACK--

_Urd was lounging at the back of the house, reading her gossip magazines as she used a paper fan to keep herself cool in the summer heat. She had to admit that things were getting pretty interesting. Keiichi was in and out when he wasn't at school or fighting a Mirror Monster here or there. Belldandy was at first very worried for his health, but felt relieved knowing that there were so many other Riders out there who would watch his back. Skuld had pestered every Rider who passed through, hoping to examine their Advent Decks to see how they worked but none of them budged an inch. Urd herself just found the whole event interesting, but found the leader of the group known as Ryuki A.K.A. Ranma Saotome to be the most interesting of all. She was pretty sure that she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't put her finger on it. _

_'Oh well. I'll figure it out sooner or later,' she thought absently to herself, gulping down a cup of sake._

_She just managed to turn the page on her current magazine when it happened. There was a crash and it sounded like something moderately big had crashed into the ground of the temple's backyard. Urd blinked in surprise and looked to see the crater that the object had made. At first she thought it may have been a message from her father, but he generally used lightning bolts to carve his messages into the soil. He hadn't sent meteors since the dark ages when mortals generally couldn't read. Besides, it played hell on the landscape. Getting up, she decided to go see just what it was._

_What she found was Ranma, groaning as he picked himself up. "Damn…stupid…tomboy…"_

"_Ranma!" Urd cried out as the dragon Rider dusted himself off. He'd gotten used to the punting so there was no harm done. However, she didn't know that as she dashed to his side and began checking him for wounds. "Are you okay? Just what happened? Was it another Mirror Monster?"_

_"Nah, just that uncute tomboy throwing a fit again," Ranma grumbled, geting the rest of the dirt off of his shirt. "Me and Ryoga were fighting again and she thought I was bullying him or something so she walloped me one."_

_"Why were you fighting?" asled Urd, still unsure if the pigtailed young man was hurt. _

_"Ah it's because last night I got sick from eating Akane's cooking again and she thinks I was making fun of her so she went crying to her pet piggy P-chan. Next morning, Ryoga comes at me with another death threat. Akane finds us fighting and instantly assumes I started it and pounds me with her stupid mallet...again."_

_"Again?" Urd frowned. "Just how often does she hit you?"_

_"Every time she loses her freaking temper," Ranma muttered. "That's usually several times a day. I know I'm not the best guy around, but she doesn't have to plow me into the dirt for as little as name calling."_

_"She hits you that hard?" Urd blinked in shock._

_"All of the fiancées tend to wallop me when I do or say something they don't like," Ranma sighed. "Problem is that it usually means I said I don't want to marry them or something like that. Once they get unhappy then the rivals start attacking thinking it's a sign that they're getting closer to winning their girl's heart and they just have to get rid of me."_

_Urd blinked again in pure shock. Granted, she had heard of the Fiancée Brigade and the rivals since Ranma had told a basic rundown of his life story, but it was sorely lacking in details. He just mentioned that he and Akane didn't get along. He never mentioned the girl had a hair trigger temper and preferred to hit Ranma with mallets to make her displeasure known. She knew the rivals and fiancées could be a little energetic, but she never knew they could be so violent in their pursuit for their hearts' desire. Just what ind of people did Ranma have to deal with at home?_

_"Well...uh...would you like to come in?" Urd offered still confused by the shock. "You look like you need a break."_

_"I'd appreciate it," Ranma sighed. "Thanks Urd."_

_--TIME BREAK--_

_After Ranma had gone home for the evening, Urd had decided to do some digging into the enigmatic leader of the Kamen Riders. While she didn't doubt the ability to send someone flying with a single attack, Ranma had to have been kidding about the frequency. Connecting to Yggdrasil, she pulled out every file concerning Ranma Saotome that she could get her hands on. The sheer amount of data on the boy was immense, but she still managed to get it all pulled out. It took some time to read through the main stuff, but when she was done she came to a conclusion._

_His life wasn't as bad as he said it was. It was worse._

_Three fiancées and one who believed herself to be one all vied for his attention and affection while ruthlessly trying to beat down the others like it was some kind of competition. As if they expected him to just leap into their arms once they were the last one standing. An Okonomiyaki chef who was his best friend, but now used that like a playing card to try and make him choose her. A psychotic gymnast who was obsessed with him and wasn't above using tricks like poisons to make him hers. A Chinese Amazon who even stooped to magic to force him to love her all topped off by a violent emotionally immature little girl who actually attacked him for small or imagined slights, usually sending him off into the distance. A pair of idiots who claimed to be fathers attempting to force the Tendo girl with him at every opportunity despite how obvious it was that the pair had a very weak, if any kind of relationship. A mother who wanted him to be a womanizing pervert and a group of rivals out for his blood. Mix in various supernatural entities whom heaven had been keeping an eye on over the years and it was a wonder that he hadn't gone insane or Niflheim hadn't managed to lure him into a contract._

_Urd choked back a sob as she read over everything that happened in the boy's life, including video images. How could he deal with all this? Why did he put up with it? He should have walked out long ago after it became clear how many times his father sold him out like a piece of property. A view that the fiancées seemed to share, seeing him as a trophy and symbol of status rather than the wonderful person he was._

_Wiping her eyes, Urd found a footnote on his profile page, 'Blessed by a goddess? That might explain a bit. If it was responsible for even a portion of the chaos in his life then I'm going to have a few words with this goddess.'_

_Urd pulled up the goddess' name and her eyes widened in shock_

--END FLASHBACK--

"It was heartbreaking to find all that out," Urd sighed sadly. "Especially since I had started caring for him so much. Not sure when I did though, but I really don't care."

Kasumi and Belldandy both smiled softly at the romantic yet sad gesture. Ranma blushed and rubbed the back of his neck while Keiichi tried not to intrude. He hadn't really heard this story before even if he lived with Belldandy and her sisters. He wasn't one to pry into the lives of his friends unless they needed help. Skuld just scooted closer to Keitaro, spotting his Advent Deck sticking out of his pocket.

Of course, Belldandy did know how things happened that night.

--FLASHBACK--

_"Urd?" Belldandy called, knocking softly on her older sister's door. She had heard sobbing in the room and was concerned for her sister's welfare. "Urd, are you all right?"_

_"Go away," Urd's voice called back through the door, heavy with what Belldandy knew was sadness and hoarse from crying. Now Belldandy knew something was very wrong. Whispering an apology, she opened the door. Inside Urd's room nothing seemed out of place. However, at a table was Urd herself, drinking directly from a sake bottle and looking at pictures scattered on her table. Urd's cheeks were flushed from drinking and her eyes were puffy from crying._

_"I said go away," Urd sniffled, wanting to sound angry, but not having the heart to try. Especially not with someone like Belldandy._

_"Urd, what's the matter?" Belldandy asked in concern. She walked across the room and sat at her sister's side, wanting to comfort her._

_"This!" Urd hissed slapping the photos on the table. Belldandy looked at them and found them to all be pictures of Ranma Saotome through various stages of his life. "Don't know why I didn't notice sooner. He barely changed since he was little. I must have been stupid or blind not to notice before now!"_

_"Urd, stop saying such things," Belldandy spoke softly. "Now, please tell me what's wrong. Why do you have these pictures of him? Did you meet him before he appeared that day?"_

_"-sniff- yeah I did," Urd sniffled, wiping her eyes. "It was back when he was little. He was just adorable too. I was on a weekend bender in Midgard so I felt like having fun. He was all by himself and I guess I was a little worried. So I kept an eye on him since he didn't have a clue where his father was and his mother seemed to be missing in action. Eventually the man ran into us and he started feeding me some sob story about how poor he was and wanted to provide a better life for his son. You know what he did? He tried to sell him to me for a simple bowl of ramen!"_

_"W-what?!" Belldandy gasped._

_"Yep," Urd nodded, taking another swig from her bottle. "I turned him down and so he took Ranma and left. I didn't trust that guy with a young kid at that time so I decided to do something nice for the kid. I decided to...give him a blessing."_

_"A blessing?" Belldandy gasped a second time. "But Urd, you know how serious-"_

_"I know, I know, but you had to have seen him then and that look in his dad's eyes when he tried to sell him off," Urd frowned. "So, I processed the forms and got the green light. I can't remember what the actual blessing was now though. It was something along the lines of attracting girls so he'd never have to be lonely again or something. Only Father knows how badly he needed a friend back then. I thought I was thinking ahead too so when he was older he'd get a loving girlfriend and maybe a wonderful future wife and all that jazz."_

_"I'm sure he truly needed it if it was approved," Belldandy tried to reassure her sister._

_"But it turned into this!" Urd choked on a sob as she drew hard copies of Ranma's profile. "Four girls fighting over him like a piece of meat and one beating the crud out of him for as little as name calling! Rivals out for his blood simply because the girls they obsess over don't like them! His father sells him out for engagements like a commodity, cashing in on how girls like him so easily! He's suffering Belldandy! He's suffering and it's all my fault!"_

_Urd broke into sobs again as she clutched desperately to her younger sister. Belldandy just enveloped her in a hug, speaking soothing words as Urd cried her distress out._

"_So, are you afraid to face him now, knowing the truth?" asked Belldandy._

"_I'm terrified! All his troubles are because of me! Me! I'm the cause of the chaos in his life!" Urd cried hysterically. "He may never forgive me."_

"_Or maybe he will," said Belldandy. "From what I can see, he is quite forgiving."_

_Urd silently made her decision. She would still need the courage to face him and apologize for all the trouble she's caused._

_-_END FLASHBACK-

Belldandy had been greatly relieved to hear that the Ranma of her world had forgiven her sister for what she felt was the worst crime against him. Urd may have not have recovered from the emotional blow if he hadn't. Now though, they were both in a happy relationship and Belldandy was glad for it. Urd had so little luck in finding a significant other. She was sure Urd and Ranma would be positive influences on one another.

"It's nice to know you care so much about your Ranma-kun," Kasumi smiled pleasantly.

"He's very...special to me," Urd smiled softly.

Again, Ranma felt a surge of envy as his shoulders slumped slightly. He could tell by Urd's actions and voice that she meant every word of affection that she spoke about his counterpart. Only Shampoo spoke with that much passion in her voice, but only when she was hugging him and rubbing up against him. He suspected she only sounded like that because she thought it was what he wanted to hear to get him to like her more. Whenever Ukyo tried to be romantic she went for something dramatic. Kodachi would just make some long winded speech like her brother would and Akane...she never wanted romance with Ranma of all people around. She was way quicker to go on dates with Ryoga or other guys. Why couldn't he meet a girl that actually cared beyond what status being with him could bring like Urd did?

"So...I guess we're moving on?" asked Keitaro.

"I suppose," Ranma shrugged. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the list of names, mentally crossing Keiichi's off the list. "Says here the next one is Tsukune Aono, Kamen Rider Raia

* * *

**Mirror World**

The red figure watched through a car's windshield refection the figures walking down from the temple where Keiichi, Belldandy, and her sisters called home. He recognized a few of them. However, who was the guy with the pigtail? Why was Kasumi there? Keitaro was with them so nothing bad was going on most likely. Keitaro may have been weak against girls, but he wasn't stupid. If something bad was going on with the stranger and Kasumi, then he'd be able to suspect it. The guy had a sharp danger sense for someone so light in the martial arts. Still...

"I hope Urd's doing okay," the figure muttered to himself. Sighing, he cast his gaze down the street to see people approaching. "Hm?"

* * *

**Real World**

Keitaro, Ranma and Kasumi, after giving their goodbyes, exited the temple grounds. The next Rider they were going to see was Tsukune Aono, also known as Kamen Rider Raia.

"So, what's the deal with Tsukune?" asked Ranma.

"Oh, he's like you. He's got girls after him too," said Keitaro. "Then again, they don't do the same amount of destruction your fiancées do when they fight each other. They generally make a scene, break a few things, and then they decide to stop when it gets to intense. I guess they don't want to look bad in front of Tsukune and his family."

"Wish the girls I knew had that much sense," Ranma grumbled. Really, why was it that almost everyone he met in the alternate worlds had so much better luck with girls than anyone in his world did? Was it just how his world was made or something?

Turning the corner to down the street, the group of three suddenly found themselves confronted by a group of four. The first on the line was a young man who seemed to be in high school. He had short black hair and a white button up shirt with black pants and white tennis shoes. He seemed to be insecure with being where he was, but he was plucking up the courage just the same. The second boy was older by a year or two, wearing a school uniform with a white shirt and dark pants, but missing a tie, leaving the collar undone and revealing a black shirt underneath. His hair was brown, but looked more spiked with some of it almost shadowing his eye. Unlike the first boy, he looked much more comfortable with being where he was. The third was a young man who was possibly in university wearing a black shirt and jeans, indicating he lived modestly. He had blue eyes with chestnut hair and a determined frown on his face. Lastly was the oldest of the group. He had short dark hair with a black turtleneck underneath a green jacket with brown pants. He looked the most determined out of them all.

'_Clones!_' Ranma's more humorous side thought, but tossed the thought away as he saw how different each of the young men was from each other. "Ah, Keitaro...do you know these guys?"

"Uh, yeah," Keitaro nodded, becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the way they were casting looks at Ranma. "From youngest to oldest are Shinji Ikari, Sho Fukamachi, Kaoru Hanabishi, and Mamoru Chiba. Uhhhh, what's up guys?"

"You didn't get the message did you Keitaro?" asked Mamoru. "We've been trying to get in contact with everyone. Supposedly there's a destroyer of worlds who's come here pretending to be one of us."

"Oh no," Ranma muttered under his breath.

"Namely, pretending to be Ranma," Kaoru added. "Ranma, you've been missing for two days. None of us have heard from you as far as we can tell so naturally we're a little suspicious what with this warning we got. Now, tell us. Are you or are you not Kamen Rider Decade, the destroyer of worlds?"

"Forget playing with him Kaoru," Sho frowned, walking past Ranma with his hands in his pockets. "We know he's not our Ranma," the high schooler then turned a sharp gaze at Ranma's back. "What did you do with him?"

"I didn't do anything! He was gone when I got here!" Ranma frowned. He didn't need this 'destroyer of worlds' thing getting started up again. However, he could guess that the guy who sent the Worm after him in the last world was responsible. "I've been looking for him too! I think something bad has happened!"

"Yeah, you!" Mamoru frowned, pulling out a crimson Advent Deck with a bird symbol on the front. Kaoru, Sho, and Shinji did the same, revealing symbols of a gazelle, tiger, and snake respectively. Holding the decks out to the nearby cars, V-belts appeared in the reflections before appearing on their waists.

"Would you guys just wait a second!?" Keitaro cried, trying to defuse the approaching violence.

"Henshin!" the four young men cried, snapping the decks into their belts, activating their systems.

As the transformations began, the familiar form of Narutaki watched from the end of the street. A pleased grin was on his face as he watched the four Kamen Riders transform to take on the threat to their world. At least in this world, a few of the Riders had their heads on straight.

"Decade, your end is near!" he spoke, chuckling as he settled in to watch the Rider he hated above all else about to be destroyed.

To be Continued...

Next time on Journey Through the Decade:

Decade: I am getting sick of this! Who keeps spreading this 'Destroyer of Worlds' stuff!?

Narutaki: Decade! You will fall!

Belldandy: Stop this senseless violence at once!

Skuld: Yeah! Skuld Bomb away!

--BOOM!--

????: All Riders must die!

Ryuki: I...have...had...ENOUGH!!!

* * *

Well. here's Ryuki World. Third stop along the way. Already we have a nuch of crossovers in various anime so I hope you all enjoy. Kudos to Kamen Rider Chrome for helping with editing and offering an idea or two when I was stuck.

KR Chrome: I was happy to help with the editing and some of the scenes.


	7. Ryuki's Return

I do not own Kamen Rider Decade, Ryuki, Ranma ½, or any other anime being used in the course of this story. I am only writing for fun. I hope you all enjoy it too.

Journey through the Decade

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 7: Ryuki's Return

CLANG!

Ranma rolled away from an overhead swing from Kamen Rider Tiger only to duck underneath a kick from Kamen Rider Imperer. After getting some breathing space between himself and the horned Rider, he almost was struck from behind by Kamen Rider Ohja, but only got struck with a glancing punch on the shoulder. He was caught by surprise as Kamen Rider Odin teleported in front of him in a flurry of gold feather and a single punch sent him several feet down the street.

"Ow," Ranma groaned, suddenly realizing how much harder a human could punch when they were in a suit of Kamen Rider armour.

Ohja was a purple Kamen Rider whose armor was folded from his chest to back, creating the image of a cobra's hood with silver edges. His helmet was similarly styled with a silver face and six slits acting for a visor. The top of the helmet was purple with gold designs adding to it. Silver sockets which were in common with all the Riders were on his knees, forearms, and purple shoulder pads. In his hand was a staff tipped with a cobra motif which was in truth his Veno Visor.

Second of the four Riders was Kamen Rider Tiger. He wore a black bodysuit underneath white armor which was accented with blue stripes. His shoulder pads were styled like a tiger's claws, making him look fiercer. His helmet was mainly white with a blue back and slits acting as a visor. Accenting the sides of his helmet were protrusions which were similar to whiskers. His main weapon of choice was a battle axe with a tiger's head decorating the top of the handle usually known as the Dest Visor.

Third was Kamen Rider Imperer. Like the others he had a black bodysuit. His chest armor was a tanned brown with his gazelle symbol in the centre of his chest. White fur lined the sides where his arms were connected to his torso. His shoulder pads were brown and rounded, but had gold horns on each side. His helmet was mainly brown with a silver faceplate with numerous black slits acting as his visor. On either side of his helmet were two pairs of horns. Two of which were sticking into the air and two more on either side of his mouth guard. On his right knee was a gold gazelle-like skull which was his Gazelle Visor.

Lastly was Kamen Rider Odin. His armor was a royal crimson color with gold shoulder pads which stretched out like the wings of a phoenix. His chest armor was likewise accented with gold and had a black section just below his neck. His helmet was the royal crimson below the slits in his visor, but the rest was gold and arranged almost like a crown. Held almost regally in his hand, but not above being used as a weapon was an ornate staff which looked like a phoenix had been perched there with its wings closed. The Gold Visor was a powerful weapon in its own right, if Odin would use it for one.

"Would you guys just stop it?!" Keitaro cried, trying to defuse the situation even though it had already exploded out of control.

"He's the Destroyer of Worlds! We've got to stop him!" Tiger shouted, drawing a card from his belt. Pulling the hand guard on his axe, the tiger head on the axe opened to reveal a hidden chamber. Sliding the card inside, Tiger shut the chamber.

"_Strike Vent!_" the Dest Visor called out.

Tiger allowed his axe to vanish as a pair of large gauntlets tipped with sharp metal claws appeared on his arms. It caused Ranma to gulp, noticing just how much the white Kamen Rider looked like those furry monsters from hell. He didn't have to guess what kind of Mirror Monster that Tiger might have been in possession of.

"_Sword Vent!_" Ohja's Veno Visor called after Ohja had loaded a card into a hidden tray which came out of the cobra's head and pushed it back inside. Raising his arm, Ohja caught a gold coiled scimitar which may or may not have been part of a creature's tail.

"So you guys want to fight then?" Ranma frowned, pulling out the Decadriver. Wrapping it around his waist, he drew his Decade card. "Fine by me then!" He then tossed the card inside the open Decadriver and shut it again. "Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!**"

The nine images overlapped Ranma before forming into the armour of Decade. Nine panels then combined with his helmet, coloring in the red armour. Clenching his fists as his eyes flashed, Decade gripped his Ride Booker and allowed it to unfold into its sword mode. "Just remember, you guys brought this on yourselves!"

Charging forward with the other four Kamen Riders charging in return, the battle began. Decade blocked a slash from Ohja before kicking to the side, catching Tiger in the chest and knocking him away. Shoving Ohja away, Decade slashed sideways, catching Imperer with a rain of sparks signalling the impact. Finally, Odin swung at him with his staff, but Decade blocked it and wrapped his arm around the one Odin was using to hold his staff, effectively pinning it.

"Who told you guys I was the Destroyer of Worlds?" demanded Decade.

"None of your business!" Odin shot back, vanishing in a wave of gold feathers. Decade stumbled slightly from the sudden shift in balance, but he managed to regain balance. Quickly doing a look around the battlefield, he was met with Imperer, Ohja, and Tiger coming at him again. Kicking out, he managed to get Ohja in the side, but Imperer leaped over the cobra Rider and landed a kick square in Decade's chest before rolling out of the way. Tiger used the opening to slash at Decade, bringing a hail of sparks out. The impact caused Decade to stumble.

"Ow…" Decade grumbled, eyeing the three, now four Riders as Odin reappeared with his comrades. Opening his Ride Booker, he grabbed a card and brought it out. "Maybe a fresh face will change the odds. Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Faiz!**" the Decadriver called as Decade activated the card. Red photon lines streamed out from the machine before Decade's body flashed with red light. He emerged in the armour of Kamen Rider Faiz, momentarily stunning the four enemy Riders in confusion.

"Now for some backup," D-Faiz spoke as he drew another card and tossed it into his Decadriver.

"**Attack Ride: Autovajin!**"

A roaring motorcycle echoed through the air, causing Kasumi and Keitaro to look down the street to se the Machine Decader racing towards them. As it came closer, Faiz's symbol appeared in front of it before passing over it. The motorcycle emerged in a completely new design, but that was nothing compared to when the machine began shifting and changing into the robotic form of the Autovajin. The robot's flight systems activated, allowing it to fly straight over the stunned pair and towards the battle. Once it was close enough, it opened fire.

"Woah!"

"Ahhh!"

"Watch out!"

"Take cover!"

Odin dodged several of the rounds, some sparking off his shoulder armor. Taking refuge behind a parked car, he pulled out another card from his Advent Deck and allowed the base of his sceptre to open, revealing a hidden chamber. Sliding the card into the chamber, he snapped it shut again, venting the card.

"_Advent!_"

A musical call echoed through the air before a new Mirror Monster emerged from a nearby reflective surface. It had the appearance of a bird made of a golden metal. On the joints of its wings a pair of gemstones was placed. A ruby was embedded on its right while a sapphire was placed on its left. If the creature wasn't majestic enough, the fact that its metal wings appeared to be on fire only increased that feeling. This was the contract of Kamen Rider Odin, the Mirror Monster Goldpheonix.

Goldpheonix swooped through the air and collided with the Autovajin, sending it crashing to the ground in a heap complete with metallic sparks. The machine gave off a metallic whine in physical protest, but it managed to get back up to its feet. It was scuffed up, dented, and showing some minor damage, but it was still ready and willing to fight.

"Oh man," D-Faiz sighed as he saw Goldpheonix hover in the air. "As if I wasn't outnumbered enough." Looking to the Autovajin, D-Faiz recalled something before he dashed over to the machine. Grabbing one of the handlebars, he pulled it, revealing the Faiz Edge. Grabbing his Ride Booker, he unfolded it into its sword form. Now with two swords in each hand, D-Faiz squared off against the re-emerging Kamen Riders.

Keitaro watched as his comrades square off against one another, preparing for one side top not walk away from the battle. Somehow, he had to stop this madness before it was too late and someone got seriously hurt. He took out his Advent Deck and with a determined expression began to activate it. He was just about to go for the nearest reflective surface when the battle itself was interrupted by one of the most unlikely of sources.

"Stop this at once!"

The gentle but very clearly upset feminine voice caught the attention of the five Kamen Riders and the lone machine that were fighting in the middle of the street. Normally it might not have mattered much, but this was not the average upset woman. This voice was the epitome of peace and tranquility given form. All five of the Kamen Riders suddenly felt like small children who did something naughty in front of their mothers. Despite the gentleness in the voice, all five of the Riders knew they were in trouble.

"Sorry Belldandy," the five Riders grimaced, completely losing their will to fight.

D-Faiz wasn't sure why he suddenly felt the urge to stop fighting, but it certainly felt the same when Kasumi would admonish the Wrecking Crew in her own unique way. Not outright saying why she was upset though, since being upset and angry on such a level was completely outside Kasumi's character. No, what Kasumi would do would turn the sadness look she mastered on to maximum. Anyone who saw it would lose their will to fight or even resist. It usually got even Ryoga on the rampage to calm down. Now seeing Belldandy with a similar ability, D-Faiz had to wonder if Kasumi had been given to the wrong family by accident.

The girl herself was descending the stairs of the temple with that placating frown and her hands on her hips. Behind her was Keiichi, gripping his Zolda Advent Deck next to Skuld who looked like she meant business. Sadly for the younger girl, she looked more cute than intimidating. However, the custom made bomb she held in her hands was making up for her lack of any kind of intimidation factor. Not that she needed it since Belldandy had effectively stopped the battle with her disapproving frown. Behind all of them was Urd, taking up the rear. She didn't look especially happy either, which just made her look scary despite how beautiful she was.

"Now, why are you being so rude to Ranma-san?" asked Belldandy crossly, making the four Riders flinch. Keiichi couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the four. He never wanted to upset Belldandy since for one he loved her and for the other he felt horrible even if he didn't upset her in the first place. Those four didn't know what hit them.

"Belldandy, he's the destroyer of worlds!" cried Tiger. "He's here to destroy us all!"

"Says who!?" demanded D-Faiz.

"Yes, just who did tell you such a horrible thing?" asked Belldandy.

"Well…uh…this…this guy who calls himself Narutaki," Ohja sputtered. "Yeah. He…he said his name was…Narutaki."

"Narutaki?" asked D-Faiz. "Wait, does he dress like some kind of detective with small glasses?"

"Um…yes," Imperer nodded.

"Oh man," D-Faiz groaned, his transformation being dismissed back into his Decade form. "I can't believe it. That guy again. You guys have been duped. That guy is not on your side. I saw him in the last world I went to." He stomped towards the four Riders with his temper getting worse. "He actually worked with the monsters in the last world I went to. A huge thing that could have killed me with the rest of the Riders in that world!"

"He…what?!" Odin gaped.

"I don't know what that guy's problem is with me, or if he's just using me as an excuse to wipe out all Riders, but he is definitely not in your best interests to listen to!" Decade snapped. Turning on the spot, he walked back towards Kasumi and Keitaro. "Jeez! It's not enough everyone I know is out to get me, but now people I've never seen before are out for my hide!"

"Yep, he is Ranma," Imperer nodded. None of the Riders of Ryuki World were strangers to each others' life stories. They knew exactly what kind of problems their Ranma had to deal with whenever he was home in Nerima. It didn't seem this Ranma was any different.

"Now, will all of you please remove your armour?" asked Belldandy. "So that we may talk like civilized people."

"Well…" Imperer sighed.

"I guess," Tiger shrugged.

"Um…sure…"Ohja nodded.

"Yeah…" Odin sighed. Mentally he found how similar dealing with an upset Belldandy was like dealing with a serious Usako.

"Gladly…," Decade agreed.

"_Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-_"

"In another minute!" Decade cried, dashing towards a parked car. The other Riders weren't far behind as they tried to see where the sudden call to the Mirror World had come from. Keitaro and Keiichi were both along with their comrades, trying to see where the Mirror Monster would try to attack from.

"Where is it?!" cried Imperer.

"I don't know!" shouted Tiger.

"I don't see anything!" Ohja called, making his retort.

"Crud!" Decade groaned, running to another car. Blinking, he looked up to see Kasumi, Belldandy, Skuld, and Urd watching on in concern and curiosity. Suddenly realizing the very real and immediate danger, Decade abandoned any effort of finding the approaching Mirror Monster and ran towards the four women. "Run! Get back to the temple! Get away from anything that casts a reflection! Go!"

_**"Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"**_

The noise had grown more intense, indicating that the monster that was creating it was coming much closer. However, it also had the side effect of making the noise much easier to pinpoint. All of the Riders turned their attention towards the source of the noise. Their combined gazes turned to a bus that was stopped at a nearby intersection. The window was already rippling, signalling the approach of the Mirror Monster. To the horror of the Kamen Riders, the four girls were in between them and the rippling glass windows.

"Look out!" cried Keiichi, running towards the girls, the other Riders not very far behind him.

The warning came quickly enough, but didn't give the four girls any time to react to it. Just as the words left Keiichi's mouth, the Mirror Monster emerged from the Mirror World. Its arms and legs were covered in white bandages, ending in brown claws. Its chest was covered in red metal strips which contrasted with the white of the bandages. Its head had large mammal-like ears with three large red eyes on its face. On its back was a gun. All of the features signalled the Mirror Monster being of the Deadlemur variety.

The Deadlemur charged at the four girls, finding each of them to be delectable. However, with any carnivore, it elected on taking the path of least resistance. As such, its three eyes were trained directly on Skuld. Leaping forward, the Deadlemur pounced on the younger girl, making her scream in fright before she became the unwilling passenger for the Mirror Monster as it dragged her back into the Mirror World through one of the parked cars.

"Oh no!" cried Belldandy in fright as she ran towards the car. "Skuld!"

"Shrimp!" gasped Urd, who not too far behind her little sister.

"Oh my!" trembled Kasumi, very frightened for the little girl whom the Mirror Monster had grabbed.

"Outta the way!" the girls turned to see the Kamen Riders charging towards the car the monster had used to escape. Decade, Tiger, Imperer, Ohja, and Odin vanished into the glass without a sound. Keiichi and Keitaro only stopped to summon their V-belts. The pair didn't waste any time in inserting their decks into the hollow spaces. In flashes of light, both Keiichi and Keitaro vanished, leaving Kamen Rider Zolda and Kamen Rider Knight in their places. Both Riders, gripping their main weapons, then dove into the Mirror World to try and rescue the tiny Goddess of the Future.

"Please be safe," Belldandy whispered in silent fear for her friends and boyfriend.

* * *

**Mirror World**

"Lemme go! Lemme go! Lemme go!" Skuld cried as she thrashed in the arms of the Deadlemur. Her struggles didn't amount to much since the Deadlemur was keeping a death grip around her torso as it carried her under its arm like a package. The only real response to her actions was the mad chuckles that the monster gave off occasionally as it ran through the empty streets of the Mirror World in pursuit of someplace quiet for it to enjoy its prey.

"I said let me go!" Skuld screamed. If only she had her debugging hammer!

"_Strike Vent!_"

FWOOSH!!

Skuld's world was suddenly rocked as a blast of flame and heat crashed against the unoccupied side of the Deadlemur, making it scream and crash against the ground, finally releasing Skuld from its grip as she too stumbled across the pavement. The younger girl (goddess) coughed slightly from the wind being knocked out of her lunges from the sudden impact. Brushing some of her dark hair from her face, she looked up to see her sudden rescuer.

He was donned in a red bodysuit which hard metallic black armour over the torso with a silver chest plate. His shoulder armour was black with metal sockets on them as if for something to be attached. He wore a black forearm guard on his right arm, but his left one was covered with a dragon head-shaped gauntlet which had a handle that was gripped in his hand. It should be noted that he bore a weapon on his left arm which looked like a dragon head directly mounted on his hand which had smoke drifting from its mouth from its recent use. His head was covered in a black helmet with a dragon symbol on the forehead. His method of seeing was through two red eyepieces which were covered by a silver grille. Around his waist was a V-buckle with a black Advent Deck in it which was decorated with a gold dragon symbol. His name was Kamen Rider Ryuki.

"Ranma!" Skuld cried in delight and relief.

(Begin Kamen Rider Ryuki opening theme)

**Asayake ni tsutsumarete hashiri-dashita yuku beki michi wo**

**Jounetsu no bekutoru ga boku no mune wo tsuranuite yuku**

Growling, the Deadlemur decided that its next meal could wait. Hopping back up to its feet, it charged at the red-clad Kamen Rider. Ryuki simply dismissed his Drag Claw gauntlet from his free hand before doing the same. Both fighters charged forward and met forcefully by sending a solid straight punch at each other. The Deadlemur's punch managed to graze past Ryuki's shoulder, but the dragon Rider's punch landed squarely on the Deadlemur's third eyes. Yelping in pain, the monster stumbled, back, leaving Ryuki to press his attack.

**Donna kiken ni kizutsuku koto ga atte mo**

**Yume yo Odore Kono hoshi no moto de**

Meanwhile, Decade and the other Riders were hot on the trail of the Mirror Monster which had grabbed the young girl. The search wasn't going well since there weren't a lot of ways that someone or something could leave tracks in the middle of the city. Still, if there was any kind of track to be followed, there was at least one person among them who was capable of getting the job done.

"It went this way!" Decade called, waving for the other Kamen Riders to follow him.

"How do you know?" asked Odin.

"I found a piece of Skuld's clothes stuck to a bench," Decade replied, bringing up a piece of red fabric which he indeed had found stuck to a bench. What gave it away as belonging to Skuld was the fact that it was beginning to dissolve like almost anything which entered the Mirror World was prone to do without protection. It was all the evidence that the collected fighters really needed.

"Then let's go!" cried Zolda.

The Riders quickly picked up their pace and began charging in the direction in which the Deadlemur had gone.

**Nikushimi wo utsushi-dasu kagami nante kowasu hodo**

**Yume ni mukae mada bukiyou demo**

**Ikite iru hageshisa wo karada-juu de tashikametai**

Ryuki used a roundhouse kick which crashed into the Deadlemur`s head, knocking it to the side. However, it rolled with the blow and managed to get back to its feet in record time. Reaching to its back, it detached its own tail, revealing it to be a gun. Bringing the weapon to bear, the Deadlemur fired several rounds wildly, striking Ryuki in the chest in a shower of sparks. Grunting, the red Rider dove to the side, avoiding more shots which sparked against the walls or pavement. Taking refuge behind a parked car, he drew a card from his belt before loading it into his Drag Visor by lowering the dragon gauntlet's brow and sliding the card inside.

"_Sword Vent!_"

As the card was activated, a gold scimitar dropped from the sky and landed in Ryuki's waiting hand. Gripping it, he came out of his hiding place and charged at the gun-bearing Mirror Monster a second time. The Deadlemur shot at the approaching enemy, but the Drag Saber in the hands of a skilled user was able to deflect the shots before getting in range. Ryuki let off a shout as he slashed at the Mirror Monster, making in grunt in pain before a savage kick to the torso knocked it down the street.

"Go Ranma!" Skuld cheered from her hiding place, behind a bench.

**Taiyou ga toozakaru yami no naka de mayou toki demo**

**Me wo tojite mune ni aru koe wo kikeba susunde yukeru**

Decade, Knight, and the others rounded a corner, hoping that they weren't too late in finding Skuld alive and well. They were getting closer since they could hear the sounds of someone fighting in the distance. Decade just hoped that another Rider had managed to find the Deadlemur and Skuld before it decided to turn her into its next meal. If that thing had managed to hurt a hair on her head, then it was going to be in for a world of hurt.

_Zziiinnggggg_

"Does anyone else hear that or is it just me?" asked Imperer.

"It's not just you," Odin frowned.

Decade likewise heard the buzzing noises and he didn't like them one bit. The only living creatures in the entire Mirror World were the Mirror Monsters. If something was making those buzzing noises, then there were more Mirror Monsters nearby and he knew that they tended to attack Riders if they saw them. Being no stranger to surprise attacks from random directions, Decade kept his eyes peeled as he and the others continued to try to find Skuld.

They didn't get too far before the siege began.

**Dare yori tsuyoku inochi no oto wo narashite**

**Ai yo Terase Kono sora no hate mo**

Buzzstingers of all 5 kinds; Frost, Hornet, Wasp, Broom and Bee suddenly jumped out of the scenery and moved to confront the Riders. It wasn't just one of each kind either. It was an entire swarm of different Buzzstingers and they were armed and dangerous. For the most part, they all looked the same as would be expected of bee-like Mirror Monsters. They all had ridges on their shoulders and were adorned with hexagon designs on their forearms, legs, and their chests. They had four eyes on their faces and a silver humanoid mouth which looked like simple teeth clenched together. The only real differences between the were the various colors they wore and the weapons they held ranging from a bow, short daggers, or thin stinger-like swords. They arrived in all directions as they buzzed around the Riders, intent on killing the intruders that had come into their territory.

"Damn it," Decade cursed as he drew his Ride Booker. He did not have time for these things right now. He had to find Skuld. Goddess or not, she could not survive in the Mirror World for long before she started to dissolve. Nobody deserved that fate.

"We better finish this fast guys!" said Zolda as he drew his gun. The other Riders drew out their own Visors as well. Not all Visors could double as weapons so the unarmed Riders began to draw and activate their cards.

"_Sword Vent!_"

"_Sword Vent!_"

"_Spin Vent!_"

Twin golden sabers fell into Odin's hands, the Veno Saber fell into Ouja's hand and a twin-drilled gauntlet attached itself to Imperer's right hand. Tiger was brandishing his axe as Knight drew his sword. Decade shifted his Ride Booker into its sword form. None of the Riders were dumb enough to assume that this was going to be an easy fight. Not with numbers like these facing them down.

"It's extermination time," said Ouja with a confidence he rarely showed but in fact possessed. Despite the numbers against the native and foreign Riders, they would definitely win. Defeat was not an option in this situation. It never was.

**Shinjitsu wo madowaseru kagami nante wareba ii**

**Ai wo daite ima kimi no tame ni**

**Shinka suru tamashii ga negatte ita mirai wo yobu**

Sparks began to fly as the Riders confronted the Buzzstingers, striking with their weapons. Zolda was shooting them with his Magnu Visor, getting some good shots in as he tried his best to dodge attacks by the close range fighting Buzzstingers. Imperer jumped around and used his Muay Thai moves both offensively and defensively, stabbing his Gazelle Stab weapon at them and blocking other attacks with well timed strikes. Knight slashed with his sword but was finding that the thin blade wasn't as effective against the Buzzstingers as it was against other monsters. Discovering this, he opted for a better weapon.

"_Sword Vent!_"

Darkwing flew overhead and dropped the Wing Lancer into the bat Rider's hand and he charged and stabbed the Buzzstinger's with his new weapon. The new weapon sent a shower of sparks as it cut into the hides of three Buzzstingers, knocking them all backwards and writhing on the pavement as they tried to recover from their wounds. Knight did not have time to celebrate before even more Buzzstingers arrived to pick up the slack from their fallen brethren.

**Jama wa sasenai yowaki na sakebi furikaeru na michi wa haruka tsuzuite 'ku**

**Kokoro wo atsuku kibou no iro ni moyasou**

Tiger quickly discovered that as good as his axe was in one on one fights, it was proving to be more of a handicap in this one on many battle. Dodging a swipe from a Buzzstinger Wasp, he plucked a card from his belt and slid it into his Dest Visor before snapping the tiger head on it shut.

"_Strike Vent!_"

Armed with his Dest Claws, Tiger roared like his namesake and began slashing the monsters savagely. With his movements much more free than before, he was able to keep up with the Buzzstingers who were after him and even hold his own. Training in the native Ranma's rigorous sessions was proving to be an asset in this situation. Running a Buzzstinger Bee through with his claws, causing it to explode, Tiger spotted Imperer kicking one of the insect monsters into its comrades.

"I think we need some help!" the feline Rider called to his friend.

"I think a little backup would be nice too," said Imperer as he ducked under a Buzzstinger's wild swing before drawing his contract card. Imperer then brought his covered knee up, the gazelle skull on the front split in the middle, revealing a hidden chamber inside of it. Taking his card, Imperer then slid the card into his knee-mounted Gazelle Visor.

"_Advent!_"

All of a sudden, a herd of Zelles appeared. Like the Buzzstingers, they were a common group of Mirror Monsters with a pack mentality. They had vaguely humanoid bodies, but that was about it. Their heads were slightly elongated, looking almost skull like in a few ways. They all sported a pair of horns, but they were in different shapes or lengths depending on their sub breeds. All of them bore staff or blade-like weapons which were put to good use as they went to battle with the Buzzstingers.

"I think I might be able to feed them all at once this time!" Imperer chuckled as he roundhouse kicked a Buzzstinger into the waiting arms of his contract and his pack mates.

**Jama wa sasenai yowaki na sakebi furikaeru na michi wa haruka tsuzuite 'ku**

**Kokoro wo atsuku kibou no iro ni moyasou**

"You go find Skuld!" Zolda said to Decade as he drew a card. "We can handle things here!"

"Are you sure?" Decade asked as he drove a Buzzstinger backwards with his foot before slashing it across the chest.

"_Shoot Vent!_"

"We're sure!" said Zolda as he caught his Giga Launcher, a large green bazooka, and aimed. "Duck!" he shouted to his fellow Riders before firing artillery shells that exploded against several Buzzstingers, taking them out. "Hurry, she doesn't have much time left! If any of us can do it in this mess, it's you!"

"Ain't that the truth, but first," said Decade as he drew a card from his Ride Booker, "I need to make a path!" Elbowing a Buzzstinger in the face, he opened his Decadriver and tossed the card inside. Kicking that same Buzzstinger away, he then shut the machine, activating it.

"**Attack Ride: Blast!**"

He quickly converted his Ride Booker into Gun Mode and fired a rapid barrage of red energy bullets that knocked down several Buzzstingers that later exploded. With a path before him, Decade ran off in search of the little goddess.

**Yume yo Odore kono hoshi no moto de**

**Nikushimi wo utsushi-dasu kagami nante kowasu hodo**

Ryuki slugged the Deadlemur across the face, knocking it down some stairs as his fight against the Mirror Monster stumbled into a local park, complete with playground equipment and everything. The monster groaned, seeing stars out of all three of its red eyes. Normally Ryuki would not be so brutal on any opponent, but this Mirror Monster had been one of the rare few to cross a line many knew shouldn't be crossed in regards to the red Rider. Skuld was an important person to Ryuki. Something like the little sister he never had and never wished for, but definitely liked having around just the same. As such, she was under his protection and this Mirror Monster was in for a world of hurt for threatening her.

"So you want to chow down?" Ryuki asked as he descended the stairs towards the loopy Mirror Monster. Reaching to his belt, he drew a card, the last one he would need for this fight. It had his dragon emblem on the front surrounded by red. "Then I hope you like something spicy!" Opening his Drag Visor, he slipped the card inside before shutting the machine again.

"_Final Vent!_"

**Ai yo Terase Kono sora no hate mo**

**Shinjitsu wo madowaseru kagami nante wareba ii**

"_Final Vent!_"

Those two words spoken from the Magnu Visor were more terrifying than anything the Buzzstinger swarm had in their arsenal to the Riders. A large pane of glass appeared in front of Zolda and from it a giant hulking robotic minotaur-like creature which went by the name of Magnugiga appeared. The Mirror Monster was mostly green with metallic silver and gold mixed in. Its chest was large, barrel-like and obviously thickly armored as well. Both of its arms ended in powerful guns, also revealed to make up the two sections of the Giga Launcher. Its feet were bulky and large while its head was tipped by a pair of massive gold horns. Zolda heaved a sigh as he inserted his gun into a hollow in his contract's back.

"Get clear!" Odin shouted to his comrades, all of them beginning to make tracks as they knew all too well what the Final Vent of their green comrade was capable of. No one had to be told twice as Ohja, Knight, Imperer, Tiger, and all of the Zelles quickly made tracks and well out of the way of anywhere that Magnugiga could see in front of itself. Zolda would have preferred to wait for his comrades to get clear, but with a mob like the Buzzstingers, he didn't have much choice. They were close enough to being clear so close enough would have to do.

"Ragnarok!" Zolda shouted before pulling the trigger of his gun. With the trigger pulled, Magungiga let loose. His torso opened up to reveal numerous missiles within and his shins revealed cannons as they opened as well. Even his head had a laser in it. Pulling that trigger not only revealed all of the ammunition Magnugiga had, but also fired it all. Lasers, missiles, and bullets cut through the air, impacting against the horde of Buzzstingers. Explosions ripped through the target area, turning it all into blackened earth and broken stone. No Buzzstinger was left standing, each exploding into flames. Energy cores began rising into the air and when the artillery stopped firing…the feast began.

**Ai wo daite ima kimi no tame ni**

**Shinka suru tamashii ga negatte ita mirai wo yobu**

Ryuki spread his feet apart, taking a crouching stance as he began coiling his leg muscles together. Above him, Dragredder appeared with a roar before diving down and circling around him. Taking a breath, Ryuki leaped into the air, Dragredder following close behind. Rising through the air, Ryuki started twisting through a flip as Dragredder continued his circling. Repositioning himself in a side kick, Ryuki took careful aim at the woozy Deadlemur. Behind him, Dragredder began to exhale flames before unleashing a blast which covered Ryuki and sent him shooting down at his target. Ryuki's battle cry echoed through the area as he impacted against the Deadlemur, sending it flying and consumed in flames. The monster flew a good few feet before skidding across the grass and exploding. The flames didn't last long and when they died down, the core was revealed as it flew into the air and into the hungry jaws of Dragredder, whom roared happily as he took off into the sky.

"Should call you Porkredder you pig," Ryuki muttered, glaring at his greedy Mirror Monster's retreating form. Brushing some dust off of his suit, he looked in the direction he had come to see a familiar face dashing towards him.

"Ranma!" Skuld cried, glomping onto her older sister's boyfriend and her own brother figure (not that she would admit it). "You saved me! You saved me! You saved me!"

"Hey, it's what I do," Ryuki chuckled, patting Skuld on the head before kneeling down so they could see eye to eye. "It's good to see you again Skuld. How's Urd and Belldandy?"

"Fine, but Urd really misses you!" Skuld huffed. While the Goddess of the Future didn't exactly have the most loving of relationships with her oldest sister, she still loved Urd. They just didn't see eye to eye in a lot of things. One of the main issues they would bicker about was Keiichi's relationship with Belldandy. Still, it didn't mean she liked to see Urd being sad about anything and with her boyfriend missing, it definitely left Urd depressed. "Why haven't you come to see her?"

Ryuki's head lowered at the mention of the Goddess of the Past, "I wish I could. I miss her so much. Just seeing her through mirrors and stuff doesn't exactly help."

"Then why don't you visit?" asked Skuld.

"I wish I could, but I can't," Ryuki sighed before looking into Skuld's innocent eyes. "Skuld, I need you to tell the other Kamen Riders something…"

* * *

The Dark figure snarled as the Buzzstingers were wiped out in one fell swoop. That green Rider was definitely going to be a problem when the time came to destroy the Riders once and for all. They had some heavy firepower on them and weren't pushovers in any stretch of the mind. Oh sure, they were divided in levels of courage and ability, but those gapes were closing and fast. That's why Ryuki had to be taken out of the equation before the Riders got too strong or no one would be able to stop them.

It wasn't time to kill him though. It wouldn't be punishment for his and the other Riders' sins.

Decade called out, "Skuld! Skuld!" He muttered, "Hope she hasn't dissolved yet." While the armor provided protection against the harsh environment of the Mirror World it was still limited. However, victims who got trapped in the Mirror World hardly remained solid for long and would start to dissolve as soon as they entered if they were not eaten first. However, Decade didn't know that Skuld was a goddess after all and thus would probably last longer. Still, Keiichi could certainly testify that they weren't immune from injury.

* * *

"Skuld!" Decade shouted loudly. "Skuld, answer me!"

"Hey Ranma!"

Decade turned to the source of the noise and spotted the little goddess running towards him, waving her arm. Sighing in relief, Decade dashed to her side and skidded as he bent to his knees, instantly checking over Skuld to see if she had been injured or not, "Are you okay Skuld? Did that thing hurt you? How'd you manage to get away from it anyway? Last I saw it had a death grip on you and I know Mirror Monsters don't let go for anything."

"The other you helped me," Skuld answered smugly, typical of younger children who would pretend to be all brave and tough even though they had been scared out of their wits by something. "I could have taken care of that thing by myself though."

"I'm sure," Decade muttered. "Listen, is the other me still here?"

Before Skuld could answer, loud explosions ripped through the air as a giant fireball rose from nearby. Decade flinched, remembering that the other Riders were in the area where the explosion had occurred. Looking back at the area where Skuld had come from and the area where the other Riders had been left behind, Decade muttered grumpily under his breath before hoisting the small goddess into his arms and making off towards the area of the explosion. Skuld flushed slightly from the sudden bridal carry she was in, but found the speeds to be fun as Decade leaped onto some of the smaller buildings so to get to the area of the explosion faster.

Ryuki could wait. The other Riders were probably in trouble right now.

Leaping over the edge of the last building in the way, Decade landed lightly on the sidewalk with a slightly exhilarated Skuld in his arms. As they both took in the scenery though, they realized that the danger was long since passed and the Riders were far from in danger. The ground was blackened and smoke was rising from craters which littered the area. All around were numerous breeds of Zelles as they chowed down on floating energy cores. Goldpheonix was twisting through the air alongside a black and silver bat while Magnugiga was grabbing his own share of the orbs out of the air. With them was a white armored humanoid with large claws and blue stripes. Its face was mostly covered by its armor, but Decade saw those yellow eyes and pointed ears, instantly putting him on guard. Topping off the show of contracts was a huge purple cobra with black lines running down its sides and gold horns sticking from its hood.

"SKULD!"

Zolda's voice ran out as the green Rider dashed out from behind his contract and towards Decade with relief in his voice. The other Riders weren't far behind as they all circled around to make sure if the small goddess was safe. Shaking his head, Decade decided to speak up, "As glad as I am about Skuld being safe and alive, what do you say we get out of here before she starts to dissolve or something?"

"Right."

"Oh yeah."

"R-right."

"Let's go then!"

* * *

**Real World**

To say Belldandy was happy to see her little sister again would have been an understatement. The Goddess of the Present was instantly crushing her young sibling in her embrace, one which Skuld happily returned. It was a truly heartwarming scene for everyone involved. Of course, Belldandy quickly regained herself and gave a teary thanks to the Kamen Riders (and an affectionate kiss on the cheek to Keiichi) for rescuing Skuld. As thanks, she asked everyone to stay for lunch so they could have a celebratory feast. None of the Riders had the heart to turn Belldandy down with such an angelic smile turned their way.

"So…was it that hard to get one monster?" asked Urd curiously as she watched the Riders dig into Belldandy's symbol of appreciation. "You guys are acting like you haven't eaten in a week." Don't get her wrong, she was happy and very relieved to have her brat of a sister back, but she did notice how weary the boys were upon their return. Seeing them dig into Belldandy's gift (with Kasumi's help) was just another big indicator.

"I wish it was just the Deadlemur that was there," Kaoru sighed, wincing as he rotated his shoulder to get the stiffness out. "We were attacked by a huge swarm of Buzzstingers before we could even get very far in rescuing Skuld."

"It was lucky Ranma managed to get away and track her down or else we may never have found her," Shinji nodded, politely accepting more food. "It took us forever to take them all down even with Kaoru-san's monsters helping us even things out. Keiichi-san's Final Vent made quick work out of all of them."

"Oh come on," Keiichi chuckled modestly. "You guys were the ones who gave me the space to use it."

"I think we can all agree that it was a team effort," Mamoru nodded, sipping some tea. He glanced over to Ranma, mentally reminding himself that this wasn't the same one he knew, even if the mannerisms and eating habits were identical. "So Ranma, did that Deadlemur give you any trouble?"

"I never got to fight it," Ranma answered, "Skuld says Ryuki showed up and beat it first."

"Yeah!" Skuld grinned. "He was so cool! The way he whupped that thing's butt and then took it down with one big flaming kick! Hiyah!"

"What?!" Urd gasped, actually dropping her sake at the announcement. Almost teleporting to her little sister's side (almost since she didn't want to blow her or her sisters' cover) she gripped Skuld by the shoulders and began shaking her. "You saw him!? You saw my Dragon Knight? Where is he? Is he okay?! Why won't you say anything?!"

"Lemme go!" Skuld cried, struggling out of her oldest sister's grip. "After he rescued me he wanted me to pass along a message to you guys."

"Then tell us!" cried Sho, just as eager as the rest to hear any news about the absent leader of the Kamen Riders.

"Well, he told me this…"

--FLASHBACK---

"_A message?" asked Skuld as she and Ryuki were seated in the area of the Deadlemur's last stand._

"_Yeah," Ryuki nodded. "The long and the short of it is that I'm stuck here. I can't pass through the mirrors out of here. I just end up breaking them and getting headaches or something. It's only because I've been putting out my ki that I haven't dissolved yet. It makes something of a protective barrier around me. It won't last forever though."_

"_But why can't you get out?" asked Skuld._

"_This," Ryuki sighed, turning so the tiny goddess could see the back of his belt. On it was a round object which was clamped to the belt strap. It was covered in gold lines and was colored black with gray bolts on the sides. In the centre was a red light which was blinking every few seconds. Turning back, Ryuki continued. "As long as this thing's stuck to me then I can't get out of the Mirror World. It's bolted on too so I can't get it off."_

"_I see," Skuld nodded, but then her face brightened up as she clenched her fist in anticipation. "Leave it to me! I'm a master when it comes to technology! I'll have that thing off in a jiffy!" She was about to try and begin tinkering on the odd device when she was gripped by the dragon Rider by her shoulders._

"_NO! Don't touch it!" Ryuki cried, making sure Skuld could see into his eyes. "There's a bomb planted in this thing! If I try messing with it then the bomb will go off and I'll get blown in two! The best fighter in my generation I may be, but even I can't block bombs that are stuck to me like glue."_

"_Then why didn't you ask help from the other Riders or something?" asked Skuld. "Or at least got one of them a message to Urd to let her know you're okay! She's worried sick!"_

"_Because the one who stuck this on me said if I talked to another Rider she'd set this thing off before attaching another one to one of the others. If I keep my distance then she'll leave the others alone," Ryuki answered. "She's able to control a lot of Buzzstingers too so she'd know if I teamed up with another Rider and tried to get help. This way, I can hold my end of the bargain if I tell you and you tell the others."_

"_Woah," Skuld gasped. "Who would do such a thing?"_

"_I don't know who she is, but I do know what she calls herself," Ryuki growled._

"_What?"_

"_Alternative 2.0"_

_-END FLASHBACK-_

"Alternative…2.0?" questioned Ranma.

"That's what the other you said," Skuld confirmed.

"Damn her!" Urd cursed. As if trapping her beloved wasn't enough. Now he had a bomb strapped to him that would go off if he so much as tried to ask for help from another Rider. He may be able to hold off his body from dissolving into bits for now but sooner or later his ki was going to run out.

"Is there a way to help him?" Belldandy asked.

"Yeah! We track down this Alternative 2.0 bitch and make her tell us!" Urd said threateningly.

Keiichi and the native Riders began to scoot away from the angry Goddess of the Past. The killing intent she was releasing was so intense that they could see a fiery outline around her. Keiichi had rarely seen Urd angry but the fury on her face was definitely real. The other riders were very used to seeing angry women and recognized all the signs of an immediate beatdown incoming. The only odd thing was that the target was likely another woman and nothing perverted had been done.

"Well, at least we have a name," said Kaoru, trying to ignore the clearly furious Urd. "A codename, but it's a good start."

Ranma realized he had to talk to someone about this and said, "I have to talk to Shinji."

"Me?" Shinji Ikari pointed to himself.

"No," Ranma clarified, "Shinji Kido."

--TIME BREAK--

**ORE JOURNAL**

"Alternative, huh?" Shinji Kido commented as he was moving boxes. Ranma had reported back to ORE Journal in the guise of asking Shinji about something. Thankfully, Shinji was moving boxes of old files and notes at the time, which offered the both of them some privacy with what Ranma needed to know. "Man, it's been awhile since I heard that name."

"So, you know about it?" Ranma asked.

"Sure. I tangled with them with Ren awhile back in the original Rider War," Shinji answered.

"Them?" Ranma was confused.

"Alternative was two guys wearing similar suits and Rider systems. The original one created the Alternative Rider system based on ours," Shinji explained. "He was trying to close the Mirror World, even if it meant sacrificing Yui-chan."

"You mean the girl that the Rider War was intended to save?" asked Ranma, recalling some of the finer details of Shinji's story. "You mean these guys were perfectly willing to just kill an innocent woman for a chance to end the war? Wouldn't that have made it open season for the Mirror Monsters since the guy who made it all wouldn't have a reason to care anymore?"

"Maybe," Shinji shrugged. "They were firm believers in sacrificing the few to save the many. It was no contest to them. They were particularly ruthless and weren't afraid to cut down anyone who got in their way. They recruited two of the Riders in the past as well. Still, the old Tiger killed one and Ren beat the other. All of the researchers who helped build the Alternative system were eaten by Mirror Monsters too. Kanzaki was determined to keep his war going. I didn't think there were any more Alternatives."

"Well, there is and this one seems to be the newest on the assembly line," Ranma sighed. "She's also picked up the old ones' hobby of Rider hunting too."

"No kidding," Shinji sighed, resting his elbows on a box. "Be careful around Alternative. The ones I knew were ruthless and determined to follow through with their plans to the point of fanaticism in some ways. If the luck stays bad like this, this Alternative 2.0 is probably going to be just as bad if not worse judging by the gadgets she has. Do you and the other Riders have a plan?"

"Well, we're going to get the others together for a brainstorming session to try and see if we can get any ideas," Ranma sighed. "Any kind of information you have might be a big help at the moment. Were on a time limit and we have to get Ryuki out of there."

"Well, I can tell you where the old Alternatives were hiding out, but other than that I can't tell you much," Shinji sighed. "Even if the people who made that system are alive again, they won't remember how they made it or even know who has it."

"It's a start," Ranma shrugged. "Where is this place?"

* * *

**Mirror World**

Alternative 2.0 was getting jittery. Something just wasn't right. She had been doing her rounds, keeping an eye on all of the Riders and making sure no innocent people were going to be attacked by their monsters. It sickened her having to use monsters of her own, but whatever it took to destroy the Riders was fine by her. They needed to pay for unleashing their monsters all for the sake of their silly war. People were dying and it was their fault! Some petty fight with the monsters as bait, but they only reacted when the monsters attacked people.

The nerve of those evil Riders, pretending to be heroes when they were the source of the evil.

Something was wrong though. The Riders weren't where they were supposed to be. She had their daily schedules memorized…and none of them were following it. Were they onto her? Did they suspect? She had thought by removing their leader they would be easy prey and could be picked off at her leisure…but if they were still fighting, still coordinated, then perhaps the red one wasn't the leader after all.

What about that pink and black one though? She had never seen that one before. Was he the true leader, hiding in the shadows until he was needed? It certainly fit the cowardly tactics of the Riders. Still, if he truly was the leader then perhaps she could use this chance to eliminate him and the rest of the Riders.

For the good of humanity.

* * *

**Morisato Residence**

All the remaining Riders had been called by Keiichi and assembled in the temple. They had also been brought up the speed on the situation regarding their leader and the new enemy they'd have to face. Kasumi saw all the Riders who arrived and along with Belldandy greeted them upon arrival. At first glance and judging by their appearance alone, one would not have suspected that they were the heroes of this world. They all seemed to be simple ordinary people who would have been better off living obscure lives rather than saving the world from Mirror Monsters.

The first to arrive was Shingo Chiryuu. He seemed as nervous as ever with Urd, Skuld, and Kasumi around thanks to his gynophobia. Only Belldandy seemed to put him at ease despite her gender as he strategically sit himself between Mamoru and Sho, making sure that no girls would be able to get near him and try anything funny. His slight paranoia seemed to have increased since he had to skip out on the Boxing Club he was part of to make the meeting. Apparently some of his admirers had a habit of following him if he deviated from his daily schedule.

After him was a boy whom Kasumi could only really describe as…average. He didn't seem to really have anything truly unique about him and if they were in a crowd Kasumi was pretty sure that she wouldn't have been able to notice him. His hair was an average shade of brown and he wore simple average clothes that didn't make him stand out in any way. In fact, the truly unique thing about him that Kasumi could find about him was the ornate lock connected to chains which was wrapped around his wrist. He had introduced himself as Tsukune Aono, Kamen Rider Raia.

Following Tsukune seemed to be someone who seemed very timid in Kasumi's opinion. He wore a plain school uniform, but his hair was brown and spiky. Whereas Tsukune seemed to be simply average, this young man was more along the lines of pathetic. He was on the skinny side and was in no shape whatsoever to be fighting Mirror Monsters in her opinion. However, he had the oddest little friend in a toddler who seemed to be forcing the young man into attending by means of a pistol aimed at his back. The toddler wore a black suit with a fedora on his head, making him look unbelievably cute. The baby had greeted her in an Italian accent, saying 'Chaosu', confusing Kasumi even more as how someone so young could even speak so well. Brief introductions informed her that the young man was Tsunayosi 'Tsuna' Sawada A.K.A. Kamen Rider Verde and his tutor, Reborn.

Following Tsuna and his teacher was another thin young man, but unlike Tsuna who was skinny and a little pathetic, this boy was athletic and had considerably more courage than what the Sawada boy was giving off. This new young man seemed to have a lot of speed considering how fluidly he moved and how much distance he covered just by simply walking. People with high amounts of speed tended to walk faster on instinct than other people did. He wore a school uniform with a green jacket, but he also carried a sports bag with a red jersey with the number 21 on it sticking out. His hair was brown and spiked, but despite his high school appearance, he still seemed young. He politely introduced himself as Sena Koboyashi, otherwise known as Kamen Rider Gai.

Next to arrive was a young woman Kasumi would have mistaken for a boy if she weren't so used to meeting crossdressers back home. She wore a very impressive school uniform which had a pale blue jacket and black pants. The crest on the front hailed her from a place called Ouran High School which was apparently a very prestigious school considering how nice their uniforms were. As a seamstress, Kasumi had a good eye for clothing material and could tell the uniform was very high quality. This girl had short brown hair and a very pretty face. However, her boyish haircut made her seem more like a bishonen rather than a bishoujo if she had kept it long. Her name was Haruhi Fujioka, best known as Kamen Rider Femme.

Last to arrive was a very punkish young man whom Kasumi had no problem believing was a Kamen Rider. His hair was black, but slicked back to make him appear tougher. He had a green uniform on with his hands stuck in his pockets. His walk spoke of an experienced fighter, but no real style to it. He seemed to be a street fighter at best in Kasumi's opinion. Still, despite his tough appearance, she didn't feel threatened by him in the least. He was polite enough and didn't once do anything rude beyond teasing the others. Strangely, he seemed to remind her of Ranma in a few ways. Maybe the native Ranma and this young man were friends. Belldandy had quickly informed her that his name was Yusuke Urameshi and was known as Kamen Rider Ryuga. He was also Ranma-Ryuki's biggest rival in the group of Riders and quite possibly his best friend.

Belldandy and Kasumi had served everyone snacks as they waited for Ranma to return with whatever information he might have gotten from Shinji Kido. For the Riders who had arrived, there was some confusion as to why they were all brought together all of a sudden, but the remaining half of the group insisted to wait until everyone was accounted for before they explained the situation. No doubt it was going to be a long explanation and they wanted it to be explained only once and not have to be repeated. The new arrivals were only more confused by the explanation and Yusuke was getting downright impatient.

When Ranma managed to come back from his investigation, the new arrivals were all very happy to see him. After two days of him being lost without a trace, they were glad to see their leader back home safe and sound. However, their bubbles were quickly burst when Ranma had to give them the news that he wasn't their leader and in fact an alternate version of him from another world. It did kill the upbeat mood somewhat, but after Ranma revealed that Ryuki was alive and well, it served to brighten their spirits.

Ranma never expected to see the Riders of this world being so…diverse. Not many of them looked to be fit for the role as Riders but if they'd been chosen then there was possibly a more internal than external reason for them becoming Riders. Maybe they had qualities befitting their decks than the original Riders who once assumed their alter-egos. Whatever the reason though, these guys were picked to be Kamen Riders and Ranma was determined to see this adventure through and save his other self.

"So, our Ranma's trapped in the Mirror World with no way out and all because of some Alternative chick," grumbled Yusuke.

"That's about the gist of it," said Keiichi. "He's managed to keep from dissolving so far, but none of us really know how long he's going to last in there."

"Letting out ki continuously with no sleep or food I'd say he probably has a day or two…maybe three left," Ranma frowned, basing his calculations on his own abilities. He didn't know what his other self was capable of without his Rider abilities, but he had a pretty good idea. The only way he could be absolutely sure was if he asked people who knew his other self in Nerima and there was no way that was going to happen anytime soon.

"Is there any way to get him out?" asked Tsuna.

"The only way we can think of is to get the machine that's keeping him there off somehow without setting off the bomb that's inside of it," Mamoru sighed, crossing his arms. "The only problem is that the only person who would know how to get it off is Alternative herself."

"She's probably not going to just want to tell us how to do that," Sena sighed.

"She's good," Reborn nodded, sipping tea as if the life of another person wasn't hanging in the balance. "She got the proper equipment, no doubt had the timing, had the backup, and even managed to keep Ranma from contacting others for help by appealing to his humane side. She'd make an excellent assassin."

"Stop praising her!" Tsuna cried, aiming to bonk Reborn on the head for his words. However, Reborn's hand lashed out and gripped Tsuna's wrist before flipping the young man onto his face with a powerful slam, all without disturbing Reborn's tea.

"Don't touch me," Reborn spoke, sipping his tea again.

"Now that's impressive," Ranma praised, honestly amazed that a toddler could pull off such a move so easily.

"The other you thought so too," Reborn nodded. "We've traded tips on disabling techniques and their effectiveness."

"Okay…" Haruhi sweatdropped, being used to such dramatic events from home and at school thanks to the blonde people in her life. "So, is there anything about Alternative that we can pin down? I mean, if there isn't then our best bet is to go into Mirror World and try to hunt her down there and she's probably expecting that. I mean, she did manage to sneak that machine onto Ranma, probably the best fighter out of all of us."

"Good point," Sho nodded before he glanced at Ranma. "So, did you manage to find anything out from Kido-sempai?"

"A little, but that was from the first Rider War and the Alternatives who were in it," Ranma sighed. "But they were based at Seminin University where they made the system and were trying to find a way to shut the Mirror World down. It's where the Alternatives started so it would be the best place to start looking. If we're lucky, we'll be able to get some clues as to who this Alternative girl is and how to make her let Ryuki go."

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Yusuke exclaimed. "Let's find this chick and make her tell us how to get our Ranma back!"

"I don't believe you should use violence to get answers," said Kasumi. "This Alternative may feel threatened and activate the bomb in retaliation."

"Kasumi-san is right," added Belldandy. "We need to find another way to get our answers."

"Actually, I got a good look at the thing keeping our Ranma in the Mirror World," said Skuld. "I think that, if you guys were able to find the original blueprints, I could make something to deactivate it but it will take time."

"And we don't have that much time," frowned Ranma. Sighing, he looked to the collected Kamen Riders. "OK, I need a few of you guys to come with me to that university. The rest of you will have to try and find Alternative herself. The best way I can think of doing that is by finding Ryuki. Alternative is somehow keeping tabs on him so to make sure he doesn't try contacting you guys. So either she's spying on him or has something near him. How else is she going to know if he got into contact with the other Riders?"

"By doing something just like this?" asked Haruhi. "I mean, how else would we have heard of her from anyone else but our Ranma?"

"But you guys didn't hear it from him," Skuld grinned. "You heard it from me."

"That might be all the confirmation she needs to set the bomb off," Keiichi frowned. "Still, I say it's a risk we have to take if we even want a chance of getting that thing off of him. Otherwise he's just going to dissolve in the Mirror World and he'd be dead anyway."

"Right," Ranma agreed. "So do we have any volunteers?"

"I'm in," Tsukune volunteered. "Mom wants me to look at universities anyway so I can use that as an excuse to go."

"I'll go too," Keitaro spoke up.

"Three," Sena spoke with a raised arm.

"Tsuna will go," Reborn nodded.

"I will not!" Tsuna cried out, but his answer was Reborn pulling out his pistol and getting it ready to fire. A bullet in the chamber was already prepared. Laughing nervously, Tsuna decided to reword his previous statement. "On second thought, looking for those plans sounds pretty good."

"I suppose I can help," Shinji shrugged.

"Then we have our team," Ranma nodded before he looked to the rest of the group. "Can I count on you guys to try and track down Ryuki?"

"No sweat!" Yusuke grinned.

"You say that now," Sho chuckled.

"Enough chatter," Ranma called, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "Your Ranma is depending on us so we had better not screw up. So let's Ride!"

"Yeah!" the Riders cheered, feeling the enthusiasm from their sudden new leader. Even if he wasn't the same Ranma they knew, he was still Ranma Saotome and was still able to bring out the best of them, even if some of them there were more enthusiastic about it than others.

--TIME BREAK--

The team stood in front of Seimeiin University. With a paper in hand, Ranma knew where to look. It was the lab where Shiro Kanzaki had originally worked in, Room 401. It could be different now, but there could possibly be clues. The previous Rider War had started in that very room. Shinji had given them directions as best as he could recall, but it had been a while since he was there. Ranma just hoped that his alternate self's mentor recalled enough to get them there.

"So just where are we supposed to look?" asked Tsukune, trying to read the paper over Ranma's shoulder.

"It's a lab in a corner of the campus' science facility," Ranma replied.

"That doesn't sound so bad," Tsuna sighed in relief.

"It's where the Kamen Rider systems and later the Alternative systems were invented," Ranma reminded his cowardly ally. "Who knows what we'll find."

True to their word, the volunteering Riders traveled with Ranma to the university where it all began. Of course in Tsuna's case it was partially with help from Reborn. Seeing the boy whine now and then about being scared certainly made Ranma wonder how on earth he of all people was made into a Kamen Rider. Reborn simply said it was all part of Tsuna's training to become head of the Vongola Family back in Italy. Personally, Ranma never heard of them but since mob bosses were supposed to be tough, it made sense that Tsuna was given such harsh training. Becoming a Kamen Rider certainly toughened a guy up quickly enough. He personally wasn't sure of Tsuna had what it took, but if Reborn said he did then Ranma wouldn't argue. Despite his age, Reborn was certainly skilled and very powerful.

Travelling across the campus and avoiding some scrupulous looks from security, Ranma and his team managed to find the science building. It didn't look particularly threatening or evil. With students milling about or heading inside for class, it looked like any of the other campus buildings at Seimeiin.

"I was expecting something more…sinister," Sena blinked, taking in the sight of the average school building.

"Well, it may have looked like that before the reset," Shinji offered, just as surprised at the lack of bad vibes.

"Bad feeling or not, we still have to check it out," Ranma frowned. "Let's go."

Walking through the main doors, the group travelled up a flight of rather antique-looking stairs. The science building had no doubt been built a long time ago and been updated to suit modern needs. As such, the architecture from the time of construction hadn't changed, allowing old fashioned wood banisters and decorative pillars to be seen everywhere. It definitely wasn't like the ultra modern campus of Todai which Keitaro was so determined to attend.

"So what floor is this lab located on?" the same ronin asked as the group reached the second floor.

"Fourth floor," Ranma answered, checking the directions. "Should be at the far end of one of these halls."

After another two flights of stairs, the group managed to reach their floor. Travelling down one of the hallways, the group of six moved past several classrooms which were either empty or had classes going on inside of them. Eventually, they reached the end of the hall where Room 401 was located. They had expected there to at least be a door or something. Well, there was a door, but it was covered up by several boards. There was a piece of paper on the front stating that due to an accident, the lab had to be closed down until repairs could be made. The date on the paper said it happened a year ago, around the same time that the Rider War had started before the time reset.

"Looks closed down," Tsuna muttered.

"Obviously," Ranma sighed. "Keep an eye out for security or something, will you?" Receiving nods, Ranma walked up to the sealed door and grabbed the first of the boards keeping it shut. With a sharp yank, the plank came off with a creaking noise. With no resistance coming, Ranma began pulling on the remaining boards. One by one each board was pulled off and the door was finally free. Checking the door, he found it to be locked. Grunting, he gave the door a quick shoulder thrust and broke the lock, allowing the door to be opened.

"We're in guys," Ranma waved to his new friends. "Let's go!"

With a final check to make sure no one was watching, the group of Riders stole into the lab.

Inside was definitely not what they group expected a lab to look like. Oh, there were computers and scientific equipment to be sure. However, all of it seemed secondary compared to the centre of the room. A circle of tall mirrors existed with the dusty equipment attacked to them, as if they were searching for some kind of readings. Since the people in the project knew about the Mirror World, it's probably how they discovered the tone which only Riders could hear when monsters were about to attack. The collected teens could only guess as to what the other machines were supposed to do in regards of building an Alternative deck.

"Creepy," Sena shivered, eyeing the dusty equipment, only able to guess what may have gone on in the lab.

"But why did all this go unchanged when the reset happened?" asked Keitaro in confusion.

"This is where the Rider War began," Ranma frowned, walking past some dusty computers. "Gotta restart somewhere I guess. Everyone try to find something. Anything that might hint who Alternative is or maybe where her deck came from. If this room wasn't affected by the reset then maybe the notes are still here."

The group agreed and split off into several directions. Keitaro decided to take a crack at the computers while Tsuna began hovering around the mirrors. Reborn declined to help under the argument that he was an assassin and not a gatherer of information. However, the dragonflies which buzzed out from under his hat seemed to be doing the job for him. Sena began searching through shelves for clues while Shinji began pulling books down for examination. Ranma however was simply going through some loose papers, looking for any kind of haphazard clue. A note, a sketch, anything was useful.

"Hey guys!" Keitaro called out from his seat at a computer. "I think I found something!"

The group converged on Keitaro's position, looking over his shoulder. The third-year ronin had brought up a file and it had the specs for the Alternative armor starting with Alternative, then Alternative Zero and finally with Alternative 2.0. Comparing the three sets of armour to each other, all three were mainly black with dark armour which appeared to be bolted on with gold accenting here or there. The helmets had silver mouth plates with large black visors. On their right arms was a silver box-like gauntlet which was their Visor that according to the schematics, would vent cards slashed through it. However, Alternative Zero had white stripes on its sides, marking it down as the prototype whereas Alternative was the production model. Alternative 2.0 however, had a more streamlined body with its armour looking much more refined and not like it was bolted on. It had gold stripes on its sides that marked it as 'Version 2.0'.

"Seems like after both Alternative and Alternative Zero were destroyed, the guys in charge of this project were aiming to create an upgrade so they could take on the Riders and shut down the Mirror World," Keitaro read as he looked over the data. "They used the data recorded from the previous suits to make this new one. Supposedly, it's superior to both Alternatives and the Riders."

"If her armour is that good, then it's bad for us!" Tsuna shivered. "I don't wanna fight her!"

"I guess that's how she got the jump on our Ranma," Tsukune frowned. "Her armour was specifically made to take on ours. It negates that advantage."

"Still doesn't mean she could do it on her own," Ranma added. "Skuld said he told her that Alternative could control Buzzstingers. Probably got the jump on him with them and stuck that stupid bomb on him when he wasn't looking."

"A good tactic," Reborn nodded.

_"-!"_

The collected Riders looked up at the source of the noise, their eyes darting towards the circle of mirrors in the centre of the room. Appearing in each reflection was a Buzzstinger, looking pretty armed to the teeth. However in the last Mirror, a black armoured monster appeared. Its shoulders were covered in silver box-like shoulder pads which were matched only by the silver mask which seemed like it was made for hockey season. Running from its back were numerous cables which curled slightly.

"Buzzstingers!" Tsukune frowned.

"And Psychorogue!" Keitaro frowned. "Alternative's main contract."

"She knows we're here," Ranma frowned. "Get ready guys!"

"No way!" Tsuna blubbered. "We're outnumbered! I'm too scared!"

Honestly, Ranma suddenly felt the urge for the first time to belt someone who couldn't fight back. Really, who picked this guy to be a Rider if he was going to try and wimp out of every fight that happened? The pigtailed martial artist was about to try and talk some sense into Tsuna via a very intimidating glare, but someone else had that situation firmly in hand and had just the experience needed to deal with it.

"Tsuna, there comes a time where we must all step up," Reborn spoke, pulling out a pistol which had no chance of fitting in his suit but still did. Taking aim at Tsuna, Reborn casually pulled the trigger.

BANG!

Tsuna dropped like a sack of potatoes with a hole between his eyes. Ranma watched the cowardly Rider go down with just one bullet. Blinking he turned to Reborn, "You just killed one of our guys! If you're going to shoot someone then shoot the monsters!"

"Relax Ranma-san," Reborn smiled. "It's deathperation time."

As soon as Tsuna's body hit the floor, it began to swell like a party balloon, catching everyone's attention. Even the Mirror Monsters were distracted, having never seen a human do something like this before. Tsuna's body continued to swell before it finally ripped open, revealing Tsuna who was perfectly alive and well. However, he was only in his boxers and there was a strange flame which had ignited on his forehead. No longer did her look cowardly or weak, but he looked powerful and courageous. A man who was fighting with everything he had.

"REBORN!" the resurrected Tsuna bellowed loudly. "I'll beat those monsters with my dying will!"

"…what?" Ranma blinked.

Tsuna yelled loudly as he drew his Verde deck from his boxer's elastic waistband. Since meeting Reborn, he had taken a habit of hiding stuff in his boxers he might need since the only thing that seemed to survive the onrush of energy which came with being revived by the Deathperation bullet was his boxer shorts. Dashing across the lab, he reached the closest mirror and promptly punched the Buzzstinger which was attempting to come out. The monster hissed in pain as it was flung back, allowing Tsuna to hold the deck to the surface and summon his V-belt.

"Henshin!" Tsuna cried loudly, inserting the deck into his belt.

Gray images appeared over Tsuna before solidifying into his armour. It comprised of a black bodysuit with green chest armour which had red coils on it. His shoulder pads looked like green shields with red horns and silver sockets on them. His gauntlets and boots were likewise the vibrant green of the rest of his armour. Strapped to his left thigh was a chameleon head which was his Bio-Visor. His head was covered by a green helmet which had two large eye-like decorations which were connected by his black slit of a visor. His moth was covered by a silver mouth plate which had lines on it not unlike a reptile's underside.

"Kamen Rider Verde!" the Rider shouted before leaping into the Mirror World. "Hiyaaaaah!

"…" Ranma blinked. That was weird even for him. "Okay, first he's a coward, then he died and now he's a psycho? What gives?"

"The Deathperation bullets are special bullets," Reborn explained, dropping his spent casing to the floor. "Whenever a person, who has regrets before his death, is hit they will be 'reborn' and then they will be filled with intense resolve to complete their unfinished business." He twirled his gun. "For Tsuna it's a good motivator."

"I'll take your word for it," said Ranma with a crooked smile.

The momentary reprieve didn't last long before Psychorogue and the remaining Buzzstingers began to emerge from the mirrors again. This time, there wasn't going to be a Deathperation shot to distract them again.

"Oh…man…" Shinji whimpered.

"Do you want a Deathperation bullet too?" asked Reborn with a grin, getting his gun ready to fire again.

"I'm fine!" Shinji squeaked, leading the group as they used any and all reflective surfaces they could find to get their V-belts on save for Ranma, who had an alternate means of transforming.

"Henshin!" the young men cried out at once.

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!**"

Ranma, Shinji, and Keitaro were quickly donned in their personal suits of armour. Tsukune and Sena were likewise in their own suits, but theirs were quite different from the others. Tsukune was in a black bodysuit, but his chest armour was a shade of pink with gold accents on the sides. His shoulder pads were somewhat shell-like while his gauntlets and boots were the same color as his armor. On his left arm was a small shield shaped like a stingray which was called his Evil-Visor. His helmet was mainly silver on the front with six wave-like slits for him to see through. A barbed ponytail hung down from the back of his helmet as well, completing his look. Kamen Rider Raia clenched his fists, mentally prepared for the upcoming fight.

While Sena looked to be the one of the least physically impressive next to Tsuna, his Rider form certainly expressed the opposite opinion. Like the others, he had a black bodysuit as well. However, that was where similarities ended. His torso armour was gray and thick, giving a sense of strength with the bolts placed on them. His left shoulder was engulfed with a gray rhino snout complete with a pink horn extending from the tip. A black panel was on the front, revealing the section of armour as his Metal-Visor. His helmet was actually built onto his neck armour, bringing six straight slits to see through along with a sharp metal horn with a yellow stone embedded in it. Kamen Rider Gai let out a cleansing breath as he stepped towards one of the mirrors.

"Let's kick some butt!"

Gai, who was a member of his school's football team, charged like, well, a rhino. While his armour looked like it may hinder his speed, Gai didn't have a problem as he displayed the speed that earned him the name Eyeshield 21. He charged right in, tackling into the Buzzstingers and knocking them back into the Mirror World and following them inside.

"Hey, leave some for us!" Knight called as he drew his Dark-Visor and used it to parry one of the Buzzstinger's sword slashes. A Buzzstinger had an arrow notched and aimed at him, only for its weapon to be knocked off target before it let go. Ouja then struck fast like a cobra, sending the Buzzstinger stumbling. He then took out his Veno-Visor and opened the tray before going down to his belt, ducking under a Buzzstinger's attack, before drawing a card and slipping it into the tray. With a quick push of his hand the tray was put back into the Veno-Visor.

"_Sword Vent!_"

With his Veno Saber, Ouja began to hack and slash at the Mirror Monsters that came at him.

"_Swing Vent!_"

Raia was armed with his barbed whip and he cracked it onto the floor. He then lashed out, striking Buzzstingers' across the chest with his Evil Whip.

Decade was going up against the Psychorogue who was armed with a blade-like lance with spikes on the edges. Sparks flew as their weapons met. He stabbed with his Ride Booker sword only for the Psychorogue to move out of the way and get behind him before striking him in the back. Decade grunted but he recovered quickly to kick the Psychorogue in the chest. The black and gray monster chattered angrily as it stumbled backwards. Making a hissing noise, it retreated back to the Mirror World along with the remaining Buzzstingers.

"We have to keep up with Psychorogue!" Knight called, dashing for the mirrors with his comrades. "He may lead us right to Alternative!"

"Good enough for me! Ikuzo!" Decade nodded.

* * *

**Mirror World**

The battle was already in full swing when the three Riders arrived. Gai was beating off a Buzzstinger with his weapon the Metal Horn, which looked like a large metal panel with a gold horn sticking from the front. It almost appeared as if it were part of a creature's head. Next to him, Verde was smacking another Buzzstinger silly by holding it in a headlock and punching its face several times before tossing it away. The scene itself was strange, but given the fact that it was happening in the hallways of a university, albeit in the Mirror World, it was made an even stranger sight.

It was that very scene which Decade, Raia, Knight, and Ohja came onto when they emerged from the lab that they had entered the Mirror World from. One didn't need to tell them twice as they charged for the battle. Raia lashed out with his whip, striking an advancing Buzzstinger in the back while Ohja tackled another, both of them tumbling down a set of stairs in the impact. Knight and Decade both went into the thick of things as they picked targets. Knight went for more of the Buzzstingers, but Decade kept his eyes directly on Psychorogue.

"Hiyah! Hiyah! Hiyah! Hiyah!" Verde yelled, punching his selected Buzzstinger Wasp in the face several more times before kicking it down the hall. The Mirror Monster in question was slow in getting up, but managed to do so before going on the attack again. Gripping its sword, it went for a thrust.

"Yah!" Verde yelled, avoiding the sword. "You missed!" Drawing a card, he pulled the clip, which was attached to a wire, out of his Bio-Visor. More Buzzstingers tried to jump him from behind, but he was somehow able to dodge them as if he had eyes in the back of his head. Acting quickly while he moved, he then attached the clip to the card and let the wire pull the card into the Bio-Visor.

"_Hold Vent!_"

A yoyo in the shape of a chameleon's eye appeared in Verde's hand. With a laugh he tossed it at the Buzzstinger, hitting it hard in the face. Performing a series of acrobatic moves and yoyo tricks, he knocked down several Bussstingers before mockingly performing 'Walk the Dog' with his Bio Winder. The insect-like Mirror Monsters hissed and snarled as they got back to their feet, but Verde was not afraid as he drew another card. Attaching it to his clip, he let his Bio-Visor swallow it.

"_Clear Vent!_"

"Now you see me, and now you don't!" declared Verde as he vanished from sight.

"**Attack Ride: Slash!**"

Decade slashed at the Buzzstingers, destroying them in one blow. He was then met with opposition from the Psychorogue as they traded blows. Sparks flew as their weapons connected. Retreating from the exchange, a Buzztinger suddenly tackled into Decade, knocking him off his feet. He kicked the Buzzstinger off him and rolled out of the way as Psychorogue swung its lance down upon him. Leaping back to his feet, Deade shifted his Ride Booker into gun mode and shot several rounds at Psychorogue, forcing the Mirror Monster back as sparks erupted from its hide. However, more Buzzstingers quickly made appearances and began shielding the black monster from the attack.

Knight shouted, "There's too many!" He was right, the monsters did outnumber them. He had never seen so many Mirror Monsters working together before. Just where were all of them coming from?

"Then use your Trick Vent already!" shouted Verde as he reappeared.

Knight nodded and drew a card from his belt before slotting it into his Dark-Visor.

"_Trick Vent!_"

Raia also drew a card and put it into his Evil-Visor before closing it.

"_Copy Vent!_"

Knight and Raia summoned duplicates of themselves, 5 each, and re-entered the battle with bigger numbers.

Decade punched a Buzzstinger across the face and then put a card into his Decadriver.

"**Attack Ride: Illusion!**"

Creating 4 clones of himself, he and his clones also joined in the fray. Sparks flew all over the place as attacks connected. The numbers were much more even, but Psychorogue was holding back, letting the Buzzstingers take on the Riders. Decade wasn't going to let the monster try to sneak away though. This was probably going to be his only chance to find out where Alternative was hiding out and he wasn't going to waste.

"I've had enough of this!" he frowned as he drew another card and slipped it into his Decadriver. "Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Caucasus!**"

Decade's armour was overtaken with a hexagonal field before he was donned in the gold armour of Caucasus. Drawing a second card, he stared down the Buzzstingers before tossing it into his Decadriver, "You guys have some power and numbers, but that doesn't matter when your opponent is too fast for you to hit!" He then shut the Decadriver, activating the card that he had slipped inside of it.

"**Attack Ride: Clock Up!**"

D-Caucasus vanished in a blur. None of the other Kamen Riders had a chance to blink before the Buzzstingers were sent flying in all directions. Some of them exploded right where they stood while others went up in smoke only after they hit the ground. Gai, Knight, Ohja, and Verde all blinked in shock at what had just happened. A heartbeat later, D-Caucasus reappeared in a golden blue before his armor vanished in a red haze of pixels, returning him to his Decade form.

"Now it's just you and me Psychorogue," Decade frowned as he advanced on the remaining Mirror Monster in the room.

Psychorogue didn't even try to stand his ground. He immediately took off running, trying to put as much distance between himself and the Riders as he possibly could. His mission was a failure! The mistress would not be pleased.

"After him!" shouted Verde, taking chase after the Mirror Monster, again with his comrades close behind.

* * *

**Elsewhere…**

"Hey Ranma! Where the heck are you?!" Kamen Rider Ryuga shouted out loudly.

Kamen Rider Ryuga looked more or less like a carbon copy of Ryuki save for a few differences. All of his armour was black with very little variation. His chest armour had gold lines accenting it, making the details on the armour shown. On his helmet was a black dragon marking which was matched by the one on his belt. He had a Black Drag Visor which looked identical to Ryuki's except that it was black with red eyes. The symbols on his helmet and deck were similar to the ones Ryuki bore, but the dragon face appeared more sinister, as if it were made of flames. It suited Yusuke Urameshi fine since he was something of the opposite of Ranma Saotome in a few ways. People still wondered how the pair could be such good friends.

"This is going to take a while," Femme frowned, trying to logically look at the problem. However, dealing with Kamen Rider issues tended to throw logic out the window.

Femme was really the only female Rider on the team (aside from Ranma when his curse activated) but was not left out of things in any way. She was very intelligent and had strong opinions which helped get some of their members in line when panic began to settle in. She was used to dealing with explosively emotional people. She wore a black bodysuit like the others with white torso armour which was decorated with swan-like wings across the front. She had gold on her shoulders and even a white cape which gave her some resemblance to Knight. Her visor was in a swan-themed rapier called a Blanc-Visor. Her helmet, like the rest of her armour, was white and had the same wing-like decorations as a visor with numerous slits to see through. She was probably the most visually appealing of all the Riders, but she wasn't the weakest either. Something which some Mirror Monsters tended to forget when dealing with her.

Along with Ryuga in the Mirror World and searching for their leader were Odin, Tiger, Imperer, Zolda, Scissors, and Femme. They were all trying to hunt down the missing Ryuki so they could get their friend back. Technically, they learned about his problem from another so they could get around Alternative's bomb threat. Still, the main problem was actually tracking him down so they could find a way to get the thing off.

"So just where would he go?" asked Scissors, instinctively keeping his distance from Femme. "We checked the temple and all of the other places we hang out with him at. Where else could he be?"

"The Mirror World is a big place," reminded Imperer. "He could be anywhere."

"I just wish we could find him so we could get that stupid bomb off of him," Tiger grumbled.

"We will," Odin reassured his friends.

"So…you found out about my little insurance on your red friend."

The new voice was one none of the Riders recognized. Turning to the source quickly enough to risk whiplash, they saw an unfamiliar figure. The figure was female, judging from the body shape. That alone made Scissors gulp in fear. She was donned in a black bodysuit which had gold stripes running up her sides with the words 'Version 2.0' written on them. Her armour was mainly black and made up of individual plating. It seemed to be made for aerodynamics so to move easier. Her right arm was covered in a silver box-like gauntlet which had a slit running on the inner side. Her belt was silver and oval-shaped in the centre, holding a black case with a gold circular symbol and had cards which could be removed on the left side as opposed to the Riders' right. Her helmet was round with a mouth guard made of several pieces and a large black visor. Cricket antennae rose from her head like horns. The entire helmet was black with gold circling her visor.

"Alterative 2.0 I take it," Odin frowned.

"So Ryuki did blab," Alternative frowned. "I'll have to make him pay for it later. I was aiming to take you guys on anyway so I guess it's no big deal."

"Oh yeah?" snorted Ryuga. "And you think you can really beat us all?"

Alternative calmly drew a card from her belt. Bringing up, she revealed it to have a blue back like their cards, but there was a bar code running along the side. Bringing it to her Alternative-Visor, she slashed it through the slot on the side. As it was used, the card vanished in a puff of blue flames.

"_Advent!_" the machine spoke in a female voice as opposed to the male voice of the Riders' Visors.

"Yes," Alternative spoke out.

Suddenly, Buzzstingers began to swarm into the area like an angry mob. They burst out of buildings, ran out from alleys, and even jumped down from rooftops. Needless to say, the Riders were surprised at how quickly they had been swarmed. On all sides they were met with swords, daggers, and/or bows which were wielded by the numerous monsters which surrounded them.

"Now, prepare to face justice Riders!" Alternative shouted over the cries of the Buzzstingers.

The Riders were quick to engage their enemies, activating their cards in the process.

Giga-Visor: "_Spin Vent!_" This summoned Imperer's twin-drilled weapon to his arm.

Dest-Visor: "_Strike Vent!_" This summoned Tiger's clawed gauntlets.

Blanc-Visor: "_Sword Vent!_" This summoned a gold twin-edged naginata to Femme's hands

Dark Drag-Visor: "_Sword Vent!_" This summoned a Chinese broad-sword like Ryuki's save for it being black.

Gold-Visor: "_Sword Vent!_" This summoned Odin's twin sabers.

Scissor-Visor: "_Strike Vent!_" This summoned Scissors' crab claw-like gauntlet.

Magnu-Visor: "_Shoot Vent!_" This summoned the shoulder-mounted cannons and equipped them to Zolda.

Ryuga ordered, "Take them down! I'll deal with the Queen Bitch!"

"By all means, try it!" Alternative challenged as she drew a card and slashed it through her Visor.

"_Sword Vent!_"

A spiked blade-like lance appeared in her hands in a rush of blue flames before she engaged Ryuga, their weapons causing sparks to fly as they connected. "The world will be a better place once you Riders are gone!" Alternative spat.

"I heard that a lot from my teachers!" Ryuga shot back. "Find some better material." He kicked her in the midsection and then swung down but she parried with her lance. She then used a sweep kick that knocked him to the ground and she prepared to thrust down on him with her weapon, only for Tiger to knock her backwards with his claws.

"You okay?" Tiger asked.

"I'm fine," Ryuga nodded as Tiger helped him up. "Thanks for the save, but she's mine!"

"I know and-ARGH!!!" Tiger yowled as he was hit by blue flames.

"Sho!" Ryuga shouted in horror.

Alternative's lance was covered in blue flames and she then thrust it at Ryuga. He barely got out of its range as he rolled away from the attack. Daring to glance at his comrade, he saw Tiger roll across the ground, panting as the flames he was struck with were put out. Turning back to Alternative, Ryuga gripped his weapon and made for another charge. The evil female Rider managed to parry the blow, but Ryuga wasn't your average fighter by far. He had been fighting non-human opponents for a while and even before that he was one of the toughest punks in town. Granted, he wasn't the same calibre fighter as Ranma, but he was in Ranma's league. That alone put him above most fighters.

Using a slash, Ryuga attempted to strike Alternative, but the evil female Rider ducked under the blow. However, she was met with Ryuga's knee bashing into her face. Alternative was launched onto her back, seeing stars.

"Ugh," Alternative groaned. She was pretty sure that if her helmet wasn't there, her nose would have been broken. Reaching for her Slash Dagger, she was quickly interrupted when Ryuga kicked the weapon away. Grabbing the pseudo Rider by the front of her armour, Ryuga hoisted her to her feet. Even those his helmet was shielding his face, Alternative could still feel the glare aimed at her from within the helmet.

"Okay bitch," Ryuga frowned. "Now here's your chance to talk. How the hell do we get your bomb off of our friend?"

"I'm not telling you!" Alternative spat, struggling in Ryuga's grip. "You Riders are responsible for the deaths of so many people with your petty war! I'm dispensing justice! I won't betray humanity to the likes of you just because you're fighting over a petty wish!"

"Huh? War?" Ryuga blinked. "What are you-OOF!"

The black dragon Rider was cut off as he was tackled from behind by several Buzzstingers. Dropping Alternative, Ryuuga was pinned down by several of the insect monsters grabbing his arms and legs. Alternative stood up and got her senses back as she walked over to her Slash Dagger and picked it up. Almost arrogantly strutting towards Ryuuga, she placed the tip of her weapon over his heart. Ryuuga could almost feel the sneer in her voice as she spoke.

"One down, twelve to go!" Alternative practically cheered as she brought back her weapon and prepared to pierce Ryuga's chest.

"_Strike Vent!_"

WOOSH!

Alternative was suddenly struck down by several orange fireballs which sent her flying from her spot and hitting the dirt hard. Using the distraction, Ryuga headbutted one Buzzstinger and freed his arm before striking the remaining three and freeing himself. Kicking the monsters away, he turned to see who had saved him. As the smoke trails from the fireballs cleared, Ryuga saw who saved him and a smile broke out on his face.

"Ryuki. You son of a bitch!" Ryuga cheered, running to the red-clad Kamen Rider who had come into the battle. Punching him in the shoulder, Ryuga chuckled. "About damn time you showed up. Did you have to be so dramatic about it?"

"Hey, everyone knows the hero shows up in the nick of time," Ryuki chuckled, dismissing his Drag Claw gauntlet. "I heard you guys calling and came to see what was up. When I got here the battle was already in full swing."

"Well, it's good to see you again," Ryuga laughed. "So feel like beating up a bitch so we can get that damn bomb off of you?"

"Gladly," Ryuki nodded. "I'm going into Urd withdrawal anyway. I need my fix or bad things are going to happen."

Across from the two dragon Riders, Alternative managed to get back to her feet. Her armour was smoking and she could certainly feel the blows which had been handed to her. Still, she wasn't going to quit her missions. Seeing the nearly identical Riders, she began to growl."Damn you…" she cursed. "You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?"

"Hey, if anybody should be mad here it's me!" Ryuki shot back. "You trapped me here, strapped a bomb on me, and isolated me from my friends! I'd have to be downright stupid not to be mad for what you did to me!"

"Then, I think it's best that I end your pathetic life now, Kamen Rider Ryuki!" She pulled out a detonator and pointed it at him. "When this goes off, you and your fellow Riders are going to vanish from this world permanently. So long…"

"**Attack Ride: Blast!**"

Several red energy bullets collided with Alternative, forcing her to let go of the detonator as she shrieked. The detonator was thrown into the air before it was caught by Kamen Rider Decade.

"Hello!" Decade greeted.

Decade, Verde, Knight, Ohja, Gai, and Raia all dashed onto the scene. They looked none the worse for wear in their chase after Psychorogue. In fact, the cricket Mirror Monster was hefted over Gai's shoulder, looking battered and beaten. Obviously, the Riders had managed to catch up with the enemy monster as it was coming onto the sounds of battle. With no more need to follow the monster, Decade and the others caught up and beat down Psychorogue.

"What the-?!" Alternative gasped as she watched Gai dump her contract to the ground.

"Who's that guy?" asked Ryuki.

"A friend," Decade answered as he and the other Riders quickly joined up with Ryuki and Ryuga. From behind, Odin, Tiger, Zolda, Scissors, Imperer, and Femme likewise caught up with the leader of the Riders, having dealt with many of the Buzzstingers and leaving the rest to lick their wounds. "Looks like you're all together again."

"About time!" Zolda laughed. "Urd's going to flip when she sees you again."

"I miss her too," Ryuki nodded. "So, who wants to take this witch down so we can head home?"

"YEAH!!" the Riders cheered loudly.

"RAAAAH!" Alternative screamed, her rage beginning to boil over. Her scream was more then enough to break the good mood of the Riders reunion. "I won't have it! None of you will leave! I'll destroy you all and save everyone from the Mirror World! I won't let people suffer just because you all want to win some stupid war!"

"War?" asked Ryuki as he stepped forward. "You're a little behind the times lady. The Rider War ended a long time ago. Now the Riders exist only to protect people from what lives in the Mirror World. I don't know who or what told you otherwise, but they're dead wrong! Riders exist to protect the people!"

"Lies!" Alternative shrieked. "You all just pretend to protect us so you can get some kind of wish for anything you want! We're all just sacrifices to you!"

"You're the one who's lying. Lying to yourself," Decade spoke, stepping up beside Ryuki. "These Riders come from all walks of life and have different attitudes for the job. Reluctance, fear, bravery, cowardice, and even acceptance. Yet they all accepted the truth that they were needed and heeded the call. You deny any logic that doesn't benefit you while they realized there's more to the world than what they want. The Riders' only wish…is to protect all people!"

"Bastard!" Alternative hissed. "Who are you?!"

"I'm just a Kamen Rider who's passing through. The name's Ranma Saotome," Decade answered, causing Ryuki to stare at him. "Remember that!"

The Ride Booker suddenly activated and opened. Three cards than shot out of it and into Decade's waiting hands. They were blank at first, but then were filled with an image of Ryuki, Ryuki and Dragredder together, and finally Ryuki's symbol. Storing the cards away, Decade pointed at the alone Alternative, "Minna, Ikuzo!"

Alternative flinched as the Riders began their charge towards her. Acting quickly, she drew another card. Bringing it to her Visor, she slashed it through.

"_Advent!_"

A horrendous buzzing noise filled the air and the Riders froze as a shadow overtook them. Looking up, they were met with the form of a giant armoured bee. It was mainly black and yellow, but its midsection was a metallic gray and its wings looked like they were made from sheet plastic. Its face had large red eyes and silver mandibles. Its legs were a metallic black, but ended in sharp points like a Buzzstinger's weapons.

"Meet Buzzsdtinger Queen, the source of my army!" Alternative laughed before she pointed at the Riders. "Destroy them all!"

The Buzzstinger Queen let out a cry before launching a barrage of white orbs down at the Riders from its mouth. All of the Riders scattered as the orbs hit the ground. When the car-sized orbs crashed into the ground, they didn't explode like the Riders had expected. Instead, the orbs shattered like glass, revealing a trio of Buzzstingers of various types within. Brandishing their weapons, the newborn Mirror Monsters all charged at the Riders while their queen continued to shoot more orbs down into the battlefield as Alternative watched on smugly.

"Oh man!" Ryuki grimaced, kicking a Buzzstinger Broom away. "If there's one thing I hate it's an unfair fight!"

"Feeling's mutual!" Decade grunted, backhanding a Buzzstinger Frost. Grabbing his Ride Booker, he drew one of his three new cards. "Let's try to make it a little more fair, shall we?" Opening his Decadriver, he slid the card inside and shut it again.

"**Final Form Ride: R-R-R-Ryuki!**"

Ryuki managed to beat off a Buzzstinger when two of his Drag Shields (which resembled Dragredder's underside) attached to his shoulders. His right arm was then covered in his Drag Claw while his left had suddenly had the Drag Scimitar gripped in it. Confused, Ryuki looked at his new armaments in confusion. He hadn't summoned these. Where did they come from?

"Time to fly!" Decade called before he dashed over to Ryuki and slapped him in the back with enough force to send him airborne.

Then Ryuki transformed.

His body did the splits as red armor plating with black siding unfolded around his legs. His arms were hidden underneath his Drag Shields as the arms on the items unfolded and moved as if they were alive. Ryuki's head folded into his torso as Red spiked fins extended from his back. The armour from his legs extended as his Drag Scimitar attached to one end while the Drag Claw attached to the other. Ryuki roared loudly, having completed his metamorphosis into a new Dragredder. Even better, in the midst of his transformation, the bomb what was strapped to the back of his belt was crushed as it dropped to the ground, useless.

"What the hell?!" Alternative shrieked as she witnessed the change.

"Ryuki! Take down that bug!"

"_Easy as pie!_" The new Dragredder snickered as he cut through the air towards the Buzzstinger Queen. With a roar, Ryuki Dragredder engaged the Buzzstinger Queen. Like his own dragon, Ryuki Dragredder fired balls of fire at the Buzzstinger Queen.

"You bastard!" Alternative shrieked at Decade, brandishing her Slash Dagger, "You've ruined everything!" She rushed at Decade and swung but he quickly blocked the blow with his Ride Booker's sword blade. He then pushed her back and swung his leg into the side of her leg, knocking her to the side.

"I've been told that a lot," Decade remarked. If his mission was to defeat Alternative to save this world, so be it. He may not know who Alternative was, but she was clearly a psychopath with a self-righteous attitude. She refused to listen to reason and would never believe she was ever wrong. It reminded him of some of the people he knew in life but Alternative was even more extreme. Looking up, he saw Ryuki Dragredder getting the upper hand. "But first, I have to deal with a bug problem!" He drew a card, ducking under Alternative's attack, and put it inside his Decadriver.

"**Final Attack Ride: R-R-R-Ryuki!"**

Ryuki Dragredder roared and soared down towards Decade and with a swing of his tail knocked Alternative backwards, sending her tumbling. Ryuki Dragredder flew around Decade and the Rider leapt into the air much like Ryuki did when he performed his Final Vent. He spun in the air and performed a flip before he aimed at the Buzzstinger Queen with a flying kick. He was sent rocketing straight at the humongous bug, flames enveloping him as Ryuki Dragredder breathed a stream of fire at him from behind.

"NO!!!" Alternative shouted as Decade impacted against her Buzzstinger Queen. The Buzzstinger Queen exploded into a huge fireball as Decade dropped down and landed, his body smoking but otherwise fine. Dusting off his leg, he stood up proudly. Ryuki Dragredder swooped down to the ground before changing back to his regular form.

"What a rush," said Ryuki. Becoming a dragon was exhilarating.

However, there was a major reaction to the destruction of the Buzzstinger Queen. All of the Buzzstingers suddenly seemed to lose interest in fighting the other Riders and instead began towards Alternative. The pseudo-Rider noticed the hungry and enraged gleam in their eyes and didn't appreciate it one bit. "No! I said NO! Stay back! All of you! Stay back!" However, the Buzzstingers weren't in the mood to listen as they began to charge at her with their weapons drawn.

"Should we save her?" asked Ryuki. "I mean, after all she did and stuff…"

"I guess we had better," Decade nodded. "Someone would miss her at home I guess.

Both Riders quickly drew cards and inserted them into their personal means of activating said cards. For Decade, it was his Decadriver. For Ryuki, it was his Drag-Visor. Although Alternative was the enemy, she didn't deserve to be eaten by Mirror Monsters. They could joke about doing that, but their morals wouldn't permit it.

"**Attack Ride: Blast!**"

"_Strike Vent!_"

Red energy bolts and a stream of fire lashed at the backs of the attacking Buzzstingers, making several of them explode. Others screeched out in pain and promptly changed directions deciding that the prey wasn't worth the effort for the moment. More and more Buzzstingers exploded or decided to run as Decade and Ryuki continued their assaults. Eventually, the mob of Buzzstingers were gone, leaving only Alternative on her knees, shaking.

"Now, you gonna quit?" asked Ryuki.

"NEVER!" Alternative shriked, getting to her feet. Her hand was at her deck, drawing a card. "I NEVER LOSE! NOT TO A BUNCH OF FREAKS LIKE YOU!" Grabbing her newest card, she slashed it through her Visor and let it burn away to activate.

"_Accel Vent!_"

The power of the card activated and Alternative turned into a black blur of speed before either of the Riders could blink. She swerved a corner and vanished into the distance, leaving the two Riders behind as their comrades appeared.

"Should we have let her go like that?" asked Ohja.

"She'll be too busy fighting off Buzzstingers to worry about us for a good long time," Odin shrugged.

"Right," Decade nodded before he turned to his Ryuki counterpart. "So how about we get you back to the temple? Urd's worried sick."

"Sounds good to me!" Ryuki laughed.

* * *

**Real World**

A broken mirror in a back lot rippled before Alternative emerged from it, panting and cursing up a storm, "Damn freaks! They think they've won, but they haven't! They just cheated with that extra freak! Next time I'll win and save the world! I'll be the hero! Not like that freak at home!"

"Oh man, such naughty words coming out of a female mouth," a new voice sighed. "It makes my ears burn."

Alternative whipped her head around to see someone entering the lot with his hands in his pockets. He was wearing jeans with sneakers on his legs. He covered his torso with a white T-shirt and a leather jacket which looked like it had seen a few travels in his days. A baseball cap was on his head, but some black hair was able to sneak out of the sides. Alternative couldn't see a proper face, but she could see. He didn't seem at all intimidated by Alternative's appearance, which just served to raise her ire.

"Just who the heck are you?" she snarled, hoping to scare this nobody away.

"Me? I'm just a Kamen Rider looking for some treasure," the man shrugged. "A treasure like yours."

"Another FREAK!" Alternative snapped, drawing a card and slashing it through angrily. With a cry of '_Sword Vent_' her Slash Dagger was in her hands. Screaming obscenely, she charged at the jacket-clad man with the intent of taking out another freak and protecting everyone. Freaks were nothing but trouble and had to be destroyed for the good of hard-working NORMAL people like her and her family!

"Hup!" the unidentified man smirked as he rolled underneath the slash and kicked Alternative's back, knocking her into some trash cans. Reaching into his jacket, he produced what appeared to be a gun. However, it was strangely designed, being flat and rectangular. It had a silver barrel along with a silver handle underneath the front. It was coloured black, but had blue and yellow designs across the sides. Reaching into his pocket, the man produced a card remarkably similar to the ones Ranma used, however this one had the image of a blue Rider with a box-like helmet styled after a barcode on it. Taking said card, he slid it into a hidden slot on his weapon. Taking the silver underside, he pushed forward, extending his gun and revealing the backside of the card.

"**Kamen Ride:**"

Raising the gun into the air, the man cried out, "Henshin!" before pulling the trigger.

"**Diend!**"

He fired and his symbol hovered above him while red, green and blue images zipped around him before converging onto his body, forming a monotone suit of armour. The symbol hovering above him turned into blue panels that flew down and embedded themselves into his armour, filling his suit with a blue color. The completed suit of armour stood proudly in front of Alternative. The resemblance to Decade was very noticeable. The chest armour was different, being black and covering him from shoulder to shoulder. It also looked like a bar code was stretched across his chest. His helmet was exactly like the one depicted in the card

"Now, would you mind giving me your Advent Deck?" Diend asked kindly.

"No! Never! This is my power and I'm going to use it to destroy freaks like you!" declared Alternative stubbornly.

"Well, then it looks like I'll have to play with you and tire you out," Diend said as he drew two cards from a case attached to the left side of his belt. The cards depicted two different Kamen Riders. One was the familiar image of Kamen Rider Drake which Ranma could see in his photo souvenir of Caucasus World. The other was a black-clad Kamen Rider with white lines running across his armour with orange eyes and a Delta symbol on his forehead. Closing his weapon, Diend slotted the cards inside before extending the barrel again.

"**Kamen Ride: Delta!**"

"**Kamen Ride: Drake!**"

"Have a party," said Diend as he pulled the trigger. Two orbs shot from the barrel and exploded into green, red, and blue body images. The images shot around like pinballs for a moment before they converged, forming two solid bodies. The first was Kamen Rider Drake in his Rider Form. He had large wing-like eyes and chest armour which looked like the folded wings of a dragonfly. His shoulder was covered in armour which looked like a dragonfly's head. In his hand was a gun which was designed to look like a dragonfly, much like the Zectors of his comrades in Caucasus World had Zectors designed after insects. Next to him was Kamen Rider Delta of Faiz World. He was covered in black armour which had white photon lines travelling over it. He had shoulder pads which looked almost wing-like with triangular Delta designs on his helmet and chest. In his own hand was his gun which was disguised as a video camera and cell phone. His belt was a metallic grey with the Delta Mission Memory in the centre.

"What the-?!" Alternative gasped.

Before Alternative could stare even more, Delta and Drake began to open fire on her. Squawking in fright, she began deflecting their shots with her Slash Dagger. Still, the rapid gunfire was forcing her back from her targets and keeping her from trying to attack. Thinking fast, she deflected another shot before diving behind a pile of trash. Quickly drawing another card, she slashed it through her Visor, letting it burn away.

"_Advent!_"

A nearby window shimmered before the still battered form of Psychorogue lunged out at Diend. The blue Kamen Rider took the tackle, but rolled with its momentum before coming out on top and managed to get some distance between himself and the Mirror Monster. Both Drake and Delta quickly forgot about attacking Alternative in favour of going after Psychorogue. Both Riders attacked, but Psychorogue managed to get around the attacks only for Diend to roundhouse kick it in the face. With the monster stumbling, Diend pressed his attack with several more punches to the face before pointing his gun at the monster's chest and letting off several shot. The bullets dug into Psychorogue's hide, making the monster screech as sparks flew. Stumbling backwards, Psychorogue retreated to its mistress' side, aiming to protect her.

"You are so useless!" Alternative shrieked, smacking the monster upside the head. "You could at least have taken out one of them!"

"You know, this isn't as fun as I thought it would be," Diend sighed as he reached into his case and drew another card. This time it was gold with his symbol on the front. Normally he'd milk the fight for all the drama it was worth, but he just couldn't stand the attitude of this woman. If she was a stereotypical Kaijin or bad guy that be different…but he just couldn't stand self-righteous people who acted like they were the beginning and end of the universe. "If you don't mind I'll be ending this," Closing his gun again, he slotted the card and extended the barrel, activating it.

"**Final Attack Ride: Di-Di-Di-Diend!**"

Diend pointed his gun as his symbol appeared in front of it before splitting into a ring of lines. From there, nine spinning rings of cards, each ring depicting a different Kamen Rider appeared. As the cards spun, a vacuum was created, keeping Alternative and her contract in place. Diend didn't seem to have a problem with the sudden suction, but both Drake and Delta were swept off their feet. As they were drawn into the rings, they turned into orbs and were absorbed by certain rings. Delta vanished into the fourth ring while Drake was drawn into the seventh.

With the two extra Riders absorbed, Diend pulled the trigger to his weapon. A green/black beam of energy burst from the barrel of the gun and flew through the rings, absorbing each of them and growing larger as it did so. Alternative screamed and grabbed Psychorogue, hefting it in front of the oncoming attack. The beam did strike Psychorogue, making the monster shriek in agony before exploding into a large blaze of flames. Being so close to the explosion sent Alternative flying before she crashed against the brick wall of a building before dropping to the ground.

As she hit the ground, Alternative's transformation failed since her deck was knocked loose and removed from her belt. Her suit vanished in black and gold shards, leaving her true identity to be revealed. Diend saw her armour vanish and closed his weapon, allowing his Diend Kamen Ride card to emerge through the slot and undoing his transformation as his armour vanished into the three coloured images, leaving his normal form behind. Hiding the gun in his jacket, he walked over to the down teenage girl and curiously examined her.

Short blue hair, obsessively normal clothes, a body that while female, didn't have much to make a guy turn their heads. Her face was definitely cute, but it was marred by her angry frown. She definitely had the body of a martial artist. All in all, she didn't look like anyone special. Looking down, he spied the Alternative deck and what appeared to be a student I.D. which had fallen out of her pocket after her transformation ended. Picking up both items, he looked them over.

"Well…Akane Tendo of Furinkan High School," the man read off the I.D. "I thank you for your time and for this treasure. Although, even if your attitude stinks, I won't leave you high and dry out here. I did manage to catch your fight with the other Riders so I know lots of Mirror Monsters are going to be after you. Consider this…payment." Reaching into his pocket, the man produced a card the likes of which the native Kamen Riders used. This one depicted a purple/black vortex with the world 'seal' printed at the top. Dropping the card on the ground in front of the groaning girl, he continued, "As long as you have this, the monsters can't touch you. Enjoy."

With that, the man tucked the Alternative deck into his jacket and began walking away, whistling a merry tune as he went.

* * *

**Morisato Residence**

To say spirits were high at the Morisato residence would be an understatement. Upon coming home proclaiming they beat Alternative and rescued Ranma-Ryuki, Urd once again teleported (figuratively) to the front door and latched onto the native Ranma and began kissing him for all he was worth. Rather than be stunned about it like Ranma had been, Ranma-Ryuki returned her embrace and returned the kiss as much as he could. When it became clear that the Ranma she was kissing was indeed her boyfriend, Urd broke down crying, thanking her father for his safe return.

To celebrate, Belldandy invited all of the Riders in so that they could celebrate properly the victory they had claimed and the safe return of one of their own. Both Belldandy and Kasumi made a god-like meal which all of the Riders got to enjoy. However, once the meal was finished, that was when the celebration really began. Urd refused to leave Ranma-Ryuki's side no matter what and they ended up dragging each other all over the room. Yusuke somehow got into Urd's sake supply and challenged anyone with the guts to a drinking game. As such, Urd just had to compete along with Keiichi and Keitaro who got dragged in along the way. As such, Urd drank all three of them under the table and ended up tipsy for the rest of the party. Chiryu kept his distance with most of the women from the room, but Belldandy seemed to be the only one who didn't make him panic so he made conversation with her when he could. Tsuna and Sena both helped themselves to more snacks while Haruhi and Tsukune helped Kasumi and Belldandy with the dishes. Skuld was asking anyone who would listen to let her see their Advent Decks, hoping to finally see how they worked, but was met with a stone wall every time. Mamoru politely hanged around, enjoying the opportunity to eat at his own pace as he talked college with Kaoru. Shinji and Sho were both just enjoying the good atmosphere. After all, they pulled off a huge win this day.

The party dragged on and eventually the people were ready to fall asleep or clean up so they could go home. Ranma helped Kasumi clean up the living room while Belldandy tackled the kitchen with Haruhi, Sena, and Tsukune. Yusuke, Keitaro, and Keiichi were all sporting hangovers, but Belldandy did some kind of technique with her hands and a white aura and they were all better. Ranma-Ryuki was sitting down on the floor as a snoozing Urd used his lap for a pillow. Skuld had fallen asleep, tired out by the celebrations and was using Keiichi for her own pillow.

"Enjoying yourself?" Ranma teased as he sat next to his counterpart who was wistfully playing with Urd's silver hair.

"I really missed this," Ranma-Ryuki sighed, not the least bit ashamed of his position. "Being able to see her but not touch her was probably the worst kind of torture Alternative could give."

"I'll bet," Ranma sighed, feeling another pang of envy. "So, how'd you two get together anyway?"

"Ah, well," Ranma-Ryuki chuckled. "Turns out me and Urd met when I was little. She thought I was nice and apparently used some magic on me. She called it a blessing that was supposed to keep me from ever being lonely and maybe find a good girlfriend when I was older. However, it didn't turn out that way. Rivals, fiancées, and people who just don't have the sense to leave me alone just kept coming at me."

"I can relate," Ranma sighed, wondering if an Urd in his world had given him the same kind of magic. Still, it felt like his counterpart was hiding some information about himself and Urd. It didn't really matter, but he idly wondered why.

"Yeah. Since her family keeps records of what magic they use, Urd managed to look me up and found out the life I had," Ranma-Ryuki continued. "She was really upset. She blamed herself for every bad thing that happened to me. I had never seen anyone take responsibility for anything so seriously before. It threw me for a loop but when she explained it to me, I was stunned. I wanted to be mad at first, but then I remembered how much of a pain in the ass magic can be around me. So I forgave her for it and I can tell you, I never saw a brighter smile before."

"So that's when you and her started getting close?" asked Ranma.

"I finally met someone who wanted to take responsibility for something, didn't jump to conclusions about me, and was willing to listen to me even when the situation looked bad," Ranma-Ryuki. "Wanting to get closer to her was just instinct."

"Yeah, but what about the fiancées and rivals and all them? They must be going nuts back in Nerima," Ranma asked bluntly.

"They go nuts over everything they don't like," Ranma-Ryuki sighed. "Honestly, I don't think I can care about what those people think because I'm beginning to see what real relationships look like. What I have with Urd is nothing like what I have with the fiancées. It's ten times better. Same with the friends I made since becoming a Kamen Rider."

"Me too, the friends thing I mean," Ranma nodded. "I thought I could sort of call guys like Mousse or Ryoga my friends since we had a few things in common, had a couple of fun fights, and worked together on a couple of quests, but having real friends is so far beyond that. The other Riders, they didn't stop worrying about you once they figured out you were missing and in trouble. They didn't just break off once Alternative was defeated and you were safe. They all stuck around to celebrate the victory. They care about what happens to you and get upset when something bad happens." Ranma dropped his head with an envious sigh. "The guys I call friends though only work with me long enough until we get what we want and then we start fighting each other for it, sometimes destroying what we were after in the first place. Once the quest is done, we all go our separate ways and its back to the daily grind of them attacking me to make their dreams come true."

"Yeah. They're probably freaking about my disappearance back home, but only because the schools won't be joined, I can't create a new family restaurant, or go back to an Amazon village to make new Amazons," Ranma-Ryuki shrugged. "None of them would really care that I could have been killed, only that I didn't take along my 'rightful fiancée' or that I possibly came back to steal one of the away from their stalkers."

"Sounds about the norm for me too," Ranma nodded before someone softly tapped on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Belldandy. "What's up?"

"I believe I have something that belongs to you," Belldandy answered as she produced a glass shard. "Its magical aura is connected to you in a profound way."

"Yup, it's mine," Ranma nodded, recognizing a shard of the Nanban Mirror. Gently taking it from Belldandy's hands, he clasped it securely. "Looks like its time for me to go then."

All of the Riders collected into the living room to say their goodbyes. Skuld and Urd were both snoozing on real pillows since the boys they were using beforehand needed to get up. Kasumi had quickly herded everyone into a group so that she could take a commemorative photo she could look at later. The shortest people such as Sena and Tsuna were in the front wall taller folks such as Mamoru and Kaoru were at the back. Keiichi and Belldandy were in a corner with Keiichi's arm around a delightfully pink Belldandy's waist. Both Ranmas were in the middle, arms over each others' shoulders.

"Say cheese!" Kasumi smiled.

"CHEESE!" the group cheered.

"WOAH!"

KA-CHAK!

KA-CHAK!

Kasumi took up both Polaroid photos and examined them. To her surprise, the positions of both Ranmas had changed as she had taken her photos. Urd was seen in both pictures, kissing Ranma-Ryuki passionately while Ranma was off balance with a sleeping Skuld on his back. Circling the frame of the pictures were the faces of the thirteen native Riders and Decade. Also an oddity were the blue markings Kasumi could see on Skuld, Belldandy, and Urd's faces. Shrugging them off, she approached the group as Urd finished her kiss and Ranma set the snoozing Skuld into the arms of her older sister.

"Like a small amount of booze could knock me out," Urd giggled. "I was hoping my Dragon Knight would carry me to my room where I could pounce, but I never could resist a photo opportunity."

"Oh Urd," Belldandy smiled.

"Oh my," Kasumi smiled. Taking one of the photos, she handed it to a dazed Ranma-Ryuki. "This one is for you to remember us by. We'll keep the other one to do the same."

"Time to go then," Ranma sighed, drawing the Nanban Mirror and the new shard. "It's been a real experience."

"Good luck out there," Ranma-Ryuki offered, his friends giving similar blessings.

"May father watch over your journey," Belldandy smiled vibrantly.

"Thank-you," Kasumi smiled.

Ranma nodded and brought the shard to the surface of the mirror. As before, the shard leaped from his hands and attached to the surface. The entire mirror flashed, bringing up a new face. This one had large yellow eyes with red decoration, making the eyes appear to be the wings of a bat. The mouth guard was silver with black fangs etched on the sides. Behind him was a nightscape view of Tokyo as if he were standing on top of a building. The mirror enveloped Ranma and Kasumi's world in light blinding them both before dying down.

Blinking the glare out of his eyes, Ranma found himself and Kasumi in the middle of a civic centre with a fountain decorating the very centre. It was night and very little was moving around in this part of Tokyo. Only a few cars were driving on the roads, making for a rather peaceful scene.

"Oh my, it's late," Kasumi frowned as she eyed the moon in the sky. "We should find a place to sleep."

"No kidding," Ranam agreed. "Hopefully we don't meet the Kaijin of this world along the way."

"Don't say that, it's bad luck!" Kasumi admonished, poking Ranma's shoulder.

Choosing a direction the two teens traveled in hopes of finding a place to spend the night. As they walked though, a man in a business suit was beginning to follow them from a distance. A predatory gleam was in his eyes as his smile grew. At the same time, stained glass markings were starting to spread across his cheeks and down his neck.

**Elsewhere…**

The scene was an elaborate mansion which exuded money and status. It was western in design and was very well taken care of. Illumination was not brought by modern technology, but by torchlight which burned brightly and lit the rooms as well as any light bulb could. The room which had the residents of the mansion were all located in the main hall. On one side of the room near the fireplace, three people were tending to a chess game. Playing on the black side was a wild-looking man dressed like a butler, but left the tie undone and had somewhat shaggy hair and predatory eyes. Playing the white pieces was a tall man who had a stoic face and was likewise dressed as a perfect butler unlike his wild companion. Between them both and leaning on the table to watch the game was a toung man of junior high age who was wearing a school uniform and a beret.

On the other side of the room was a woman in a beautiful black dress sitting at a window and enjoying the moon's soft glow. She had long black hair and a pale complexion which made her seem almost statue-like if not for the warm smile on her face. In her arms was a smiling baby who reached towards his mother's face, patting her cheeks and enjoying the loving attention which was being showered down on him. In a nearby crib which was big enough for two, a second baby slept. He was about a year older than the first baby and was wearing a gray footie set of pajamas.

"Rockabye Wataru in the treetop, when the wind blows the cradle will rock," the woman sang gently, rocking her infant son steadily and warmly. No small amount of affection was spared in her loving eyes and words, making the baby smile brightly and widely which in turn made the woman smile. "So much energy for one so small. I can tell you're Taiga's brother. Both of you have so much energy."

In the centre of the room sat a figure in a gold chair, surrounded by drifting rose petals which seemed to be phasing through the ceiling. He wore a black bodysuit like most warriors of his status. His right foot was covered by a large iron boots wrapped in chains. His left foot merely had a silver anklet. Wrapped around his waist was a red belt which had whistle-like objects on the sides and a bat-like buckled which was black and gold with red eyes on the front. His torso armour was red and black, styled after muscles while the armour on his back and sides was silver and looked more like a vest. His shoulder pads looks like bat wings, but were held shut with chains. His hands were covered in red armour with silver bracelets, looking almost like claws. His helmet was black save for the large yellow eyes and the red accents which made them appear as if they were part of a bat. His mouth guard was silver and had black fangs etched on the sides.

"Oi," the wild man spoke, looking up from his game. "Are you going to sit around here all night?"

The armoured figure turned to the wild man, looking almost thoughtful, "Maybe, maybe not. We'll see if something happens."

The armoured figure just hoped that something would happen soon.

To be Continued…

Next time on Journey Through the Decade!

Ranma: So where are we? It's creepy.

Fangire: _It doesn't matter! You'll be my next meal!_"

Kiva: Not if I have a say about it. Kivat!

Kivat: Wake up!

Maya: Oh dear. They woke Wataru and Taiga from their nap.

Author's Notes:

For those of you who aren't sure, here's a list of the Ryuki World Kamen Riders I used and where they came from.

Kamen Rider Ryuki: Ranma Saotome from Ranma ½

Kamen Rider Knight: Keitaro Urashima from Love Hina

Kamen Rider Zolda: Keiichi Morisato from Oh! My Goddess

Kamen Rider Ryuga: Yusuke Urameshi from Yu Yu Hakusho

Kamen Rider Odin: Mamoru Chiba from Sailor Moon

Kamen Rider Imperer: Kaoru Hanabishi from Ai Yori Aoshi

Kamen Rider Femme: Haruhi Fujioka from Ouran High School Host Club

Kamen Rider Raia: Tsukune Aono from Rosario + Vampire

Kamen Rider Scissors: Shingo Chiryuu from Girls Saurus

Kamen Rider Tiger: Sho Fukamachi from Guyver: The Bioboosted Armour

Kamen Rider Ohja: Shinji Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion

Kamen Rider Verde: Tsunayoshi 'Tsuna' Sawada from Reborn!

Kamen Rider Gai: Sena Koboyashi from Eyeshield 21


	8. Shadow of Kiva

I do not own Ranma ½ or Kamen Rider. Those belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Toei. I am writing this for enjoyment and hopefully now the enjoyment of my fans. I am not getting paid to do this no matter how much I would like to be. That said, we shall continue.

Journey Through the Decade

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 8: Shadow of Kiva

The city of Tokyo was quiet and there wasn't much activity as it settled for the night. The only people who were out were the people who worked night shifts or were having late night parties. In a rather neat part of the town where more modern buildings existed, a couple were strolling down the street. They were both in their teens and many people would have assumed them to be out on a date of some kind or going to find a love hotel in the minds of the more perverse citizens. In truth, a date was very far from the minds of the two teens and only one of them was having thoughts of even a regular hotel on their minds.

"Ranma?" asked Kasumi as her companion kept her walking past the building she was looking at. "Ranma, we just passed a hotel."

"I know, but keep walking," Ranma frowned. "We're being followed."

"We are?" asked Kasumi, beginning to worry.

"Have been ever since we landed here," Ranma replied. "The guy's been stuck like glue to us ever since."

"Are you sure this person just isn't going in the same direction we are?" asked Kasumi, still worried.

"I can feel the ill intent coming off of him in waves and its pointed right at our backs," Ranma replied. "Let's turn this corner and I'll do my thing."

Nodding mutely, Kasumi clutched Ranma's arm tightly. Before their trip through numerous worlds started, Kasumi would have just assumed one of the rivals or fiancées were following Ranma in hopes of trying to defeat him or try some gimmick to force him to marry them. However, since travelling to several worlds, she had found that things were much more dangerous. Being followed in these Rider worlds could mean that a kaijin was planning on making you their next victim.

Calmly walked around a corner, Ranma pressed Kasumi against the wall of the building. Pressing himself against the wall, he waited for their tagalong to follow. The pigtailed martial artist could feel the guy's aura pretty strongly. Nothing but ill intent there and it didn't feel completely human either. Most likely it was the native kaijin to this world who thought that he and Kasumi would be easy prey for their stomachs, games, or psychotic drives. Well, whatever this approaching monster was, it was about to get a very rude surprise. Feeling the unnatural aura coming closer, Ranma's muscles tensed as he prepared to move.

Closer…

Closer…

Closer…

There!

Dashing around the corner again, Ranma was met face to face with a man in a business suit who was holding a briefcase. He didn't seem to stick out in any discernable way, but his aura was definitely anything but natural. Grabbing the man by the lapels of his jacket, he pushed him against the side of the building before hoisting him up, "Okay pal! Time to fess up! Why are you following us?!"

"I wasn't!" the man cried out in denial. "What's wrong with you?! I was just walking in the same direction!"

"Don't try to fool me!" Ranma hissed. "You've been following us since that square a while back. I can feel the ill intent coming off of you! Heck, your aura ain't even human so what gives? Just what the heck are you and why were you following us?!"

The man's cowardly image quickly dropped as a snarl came to his lips. At the same time, a stained glass pattern came over his cheeks, signalling what he truly was, "Tsk! I must be slipping.

The man's image began shifting as light radiated from his form. The human vanished only to be replaced by something else entirely. It was black-skinned, but only in a minor sense while the rest of its body was covered in blue and yellow stained glass. Its arms ended in wide gauntlets which had three blades extending from the ends. Its chest armour looked jagged, almost like waves as the glass travelled down its torso. Its shoulder's were covered with large curved shoulder plates which were styled with more of the black skin-like substance and blue stained glass. Its head was completely covered with blue stained glass in various shades and was shaped like a shark's head, complete with a dorsal fin rising from the back.

"_Time for a snack!_" the Shark Fangire sneered as it pushed Ranma way.

Suddenly, Ranma felt the Fangire's aura beginning to manifest from behind. Acting on instinct, he rolled out of the way just as a pair of crystalline fangs stabbed down at where he was but a moment ago. Instead, the fangs collided with the Shark Fangire's body, making it cry out in pain as sparks rained out of the impact points. Shuddering, the monster stared down Ranma who was getting back up to his feet.

"_That wasn't very nice,_" the Fangire growled, rubbing his blades together in anticipation.

"I'm crying about it already," Ranma frowned, producing his Decadriver before attaching it to his waist. Opening it, he produced his Decade card before inserting it with a cry of, "Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!**"

The nine symbols of the previous Kamen Riders appeared before forming into body images which converged on Ranma, covering him in his suit of armour. Lastly, the red panels emerged from his belt before fusing with his helmet, filling his suit with color. His eyes flashing green, his transformation was complete. Grabbing his Ride Booker, he converted it into its sword mode and held it at the ready, "Well? If you want to turn me into food then you'd better be prepared to work for it!"

"_The best kind of meal! Ragh!_" the Shark Fangire cried out before lunging at his opponent.

The Fangire lashed out with his blades, but Decade managed to parry them as he got some breathing space between himself and the monster. Lashing out, he attempted to strike at the Fangire's side, but the monster blocked with its gauntlets, proving that they were for offence just as much as defence. Kicking the Fangire in the stomach, Decade tried to press his enemy into making a misstep by pushing him backwards. The Shark Fangire kept up the pace before stabbing Decade in the torso with enough force to send him stumbling backwards. Grunting, Decade attempted to get his breath back from the unexpectedly hard strike.

"_And this is why Fangires are the top of the food chain. No matter what you do, you attacks are like wind against a brick wall,_" the Shark Fangire bragged as it advanced on Decade, already bragging about victory.

"Great, an Orphenoch mindset," Decade grumbled as he began switched the mode of his Ride Booker as he drew a card. Opening his belt, he tossed the card inside before shutting it again.

"**Attack Ride: Blast!**"

Decade fired several rounds which impacted against the Fangire's hide, making it grunt in pain and stumble backwards. As the Fangire was being pushed backwards, Decade noticed something as he gazed at the stained glass parts of its body. He could see the scenery around their battle being reflected in its body. Seeing that, Decade began to develop an idea which might give him a huge advantage over the Fangire he was fighting. It would piss off the Fangire too and that was just icing on the cake.

"Let's see how my new powers pan out," Decade pondered as he drew another card before opening the Decadriver again. "Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Ryuki!**"

Two monotone images of the dragon Rider appeared before they converged on Decade. Fusing together, his body flashed before emerging in the armour of Kamen Rider Ryuki. However, the main difference between the Dragon Rider and Decade now was that the Decadriver was still attached to D-Ryuki's waist. Everything else was a perfect copy of the Mirror World Champion.

"Now, let's see if this works," D-Ryuki spoke before he charged at the Fangire.

The Shark Fangire saw D-Ryuki approaching and stabbed out with his blades. He missed as D-Ryuki easily leaped above the attack before coming back down as if he were going to land on the Fangire's arm. As he touched the stained glass of the Fangire's arm, the truth became apparent. D-Ryuki actually vanished into the glass of the Shark Fangire's body! There wasn't a trace of him left behind as the Fangire stared at its own arm.

"_What?! How…why…?!_" the Fangire gaped, unsure if what he saw actually happened.

Struggling to find some reason why the Rider disappeared, the Fangire looked in all directions for some kind of clue. After all, people just didn't disappear like that, did they? Looking around, the Fangire didn't notice D-Ryuki emerge from its back much like how it disappeared into its arm. Landing on the ground, D-Ryuki gave a quiet snicker before using a high kick aimed at the back of the Fangire's head. Grunting in pain, the Fangire hit the ground face first. D-Ryuki took the opportunity and charged at the Fangire again before diving through the air. As the Fangire rolled over, D-Ryuki vanished into the glass on its chest.

"_What sort of magic is this?!_" cried the Shark Fangire as he got to his feet.

Several feet away, D-Ryuki emerged from a glass door's reflection as the Fangire stumbled, trying to see where he had gone. It was definitely odd to see Fangires in the Mirror World of this World, but that was because its entire body was made of reflective glass so a Mirror World counterpart existed, but it couldn't see him since it was just an image made by the Fangire in the real world. He still had fun making faces at it and doing goofy stunts though.

"Let's see what other cool stuff I have," D-Ryuki snickered as he drew another card before slipping it into his Decadriver.

"**Attack Ride: Strike Vent!**"

Flames fell from the sky before converging on D-Ryuki's free hand, forming into the Drag Claw gauntlet, one of the real Ryuki's basic weapons on his home world. Hearing the noise, the Fangire turned to see what it was, spotting D-Ryuki with the weapon on his hand. Bringing his arm back, D-Ryuki took aim at the Fangire before thrusting his arm out and unleashing a stream of fire at the kaijin. The flames cut through the air before crashing against the Shark Fangire, knocking it off of its feet again.

"_Ahh! Ahhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh!_" the kaijin of the night screamed, trying desperately to smother the flames by rolling.

"Now…to finish it," D-Ryuki nodded as he approached, taking one of his lethal gold cards and sliding it into the Decadriver.

"**Final Attack Ride: R-R-R-Ryuki!**"

A roar echoed through the area before a stream of red pixels circled around D-Ryuki before forming into the familiar image of Dragredder. Leaping into the sky, D-Ryuki positioned himself for a kick as Dragredder circled around. As gravity reasserted itself, Dragredder positioned himself behind D-Ryuki before unleashing a blast of flame which rocketed the Rider down towards the Shark Fangire. The kaijin in question could only cry out in fear before the attack struck, hitting it squarely in the chest. Flying through the air in a flaming mess, the Shark Fangire's body seemed to crystallize in a rainbow aura before hitting the ground and shattering into thousands of small glass shards.

Landing on the ground, D-Ryuki dusted off his hands as Dragredder vanished in red pixels. The Ryuki armour wasn't far behind as Decade became himself again. Finally removing the Decadriver, Ranma Saotome was once more his regular self. Like all the other times, his outfit had changed when he returned to normal in a new world. This time he was donned in formal butler attire which made him look very refined and would have made him a fanclub overnight if any girls his age saw him. Of course, the bowtie was undone and hanging from his shoulders while the top buttons of his white shirt were open, letting his neck have a free range of motion.

"That's that I guess," Ranma nodded before rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ranma!" Kasumi cried out, jogging over to her little brother. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, he may have gotten me once, but I took him down," Ranma grinned. "Hope it wasn't too scary for you."

"Well, it's always a little scary seeing you fight monsters," Kasumi admitted. "But I'm just glad you weren't seriously hurt."

"Nah, I'm good," Ranma shrugged. "So how about we hit that hotel and try to get some sleep?"

"Yes!" Kasumi nodded with a smile.

As the pair walked away, a small figure watched them go from atop a lamp post. The creature was a small and round, but looked a little like a bat. He had a large mouth and large red eyes. It also had gold coloring across its body with web-like designs on its wings.

"Interesting," the bat figure pondered before taking off into the night sky. "I must report this development to him."

* * *

**Castle Doran**

When the average person hears the name Castle Doran, they would normally think of a castle somewhere which has all the fixtures of one of the famous structures which kings and queens would call home in the past. In truth, Castle Doran is no such place. Doran is in fact a living dragon which was built into a castle. Doran himself had scaled purple skin and a long neck which ended in a slightly stubby nose with many horns cresting from his head. His legs were slightly stubby with spiked manacles around each of his ankles. His body was in fact a large mansion/castle made with gray stone and had green rooftops and towers. His sides were outfitted with large windows which revealed several floors inside which people could roam about in. Atop the front, just behind Doran's head was a clock tower which was just now ringing the tones of midnight. Thankfully, the dragon himself was not sleeping and just enjoying some rest as he idly munched on some trees which helped make up the forest clearing he called home.

Fluttering down from the sky, Kivat-Bat III flew down to Doran's mouth and slipped inside between his teeth. Rather than being swallowed, Kivat was brought inside of Castle Doran where the residents lived. His target? The Grand Hall.

The Grand Hall of Doran was a spacious place and often kept changing its appearance to suit the needs of the people present. In most cases, it was a reception hall where the residents could meet and talk, eat, and generally relax and have whatever fun they desired. In recent months, it had included nursery item for the two baby boys who had taken up residence. At this moment in time, all the furniture was cleared to the sides as four figures stood in the centre.

The first was a cobalt blue wolf-like monster with blood red eyes. It appeared as if his fur was made of steel or crystal, giving a graceful, yet savage appearance. A golden horn rose from the monster's forehead and sparkled in the torchlight. From his back, a strip of gray fur hung like a ponytail. This was a member of the Wolfen Clan, one of the thirteen Mazoku and sadly, the last of his kind. His name was Garuru.

Next to him was a hulking monstrosity who appeared human, but corpse-like at the same time with red eyes. He wore a purple trench-coat and had a yellow flower on his lapel. His forearms were covered by thick steel gauntlets as were his shoulders similarly covered. He had metal lining the edge of his face and despite his fearsome look, no hostility was in his eyes. Purple electricity coursed through his fists as he clenched them. This was the last of the Franken Clan known as Dogga.

Hanging near the back was an emerald green fish-man whose skin sparkled like jewels. Gold and green were his dominant colors as the sparkling metallic color lined his skin and body, making him appear older than he was in some ways. His eyes were red like the other two, but had strange crosshair-like spines growing from around the socket. This energetic fellow was named Bashaa and he was the last of the Mermen.

All three of these endangered Mazoku were facing off against the fourth person in the middle of the Grand Hall. He wore a long black coat which almost scraped against the floor, His clothes underneath were just as black as his coat, but the inside of said coat was a royal red color. On his left shoulder was a metal plate and thin chains hung from the front of his jacket, almost as if they were keeping it shut. His hair was black and tied in a pigtail while his eyes were a deep blue. His mouth on the other hand was in a happy smirk, thoroughly enjoying himself. His name was Ranma Saotome, the rumoured new King of the Fangire race.

Garuru snarled and lunged for Ranma, aiming to take the young man down. The Saotome male swerved through the wild slashes with some effort. Garuru was fast, but Ranma had been used to fighting at high speeds. As Garuru continued his assault, Dogga went around the fight and tried to attack from behind with one of his massive fists, however Ranma managed to swerve around the hit, taking only a scratch from Garuru as Dogga's fist smashed through the floor. Using a roundhouse, Ranma kicked Dogga across the face. While it wasn't enough to truly harm the tough Franken, it was enough to send his world spinning for a few moments and give Ranma some space. Concentrating on Garuru again, Ranma went to charge but was halted by blasts of high speed water being shot from Bashaa's mouth. Biting back a curse, Ranma leaped behind the dizzy Dogga before kicking against his back with both feet. The force was enough to send Dogga stumbling into Bashaa, much to the Merman's horror before Dogga tripped and fell on top of the Merman. Dogga's weight would keep Bashaa pinned for a short time while Dogga would have trouble getting up for a while. Turning his attention back to Garuru, Ranma managed to dodge another swipe before blocking another, leaving Garuru's chest wide open.

"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Ranma shouted, putting several high speed punches into Garuru's gut and making the Wolfen involuntarily double over before an uppercut to the chin put him on his back.

Ranma wiped some sweat off his brow. The spar was only until all three were knocked down, which was lucky since the three Mazoku Clan members wouldn't be put down by his usual tactics in any stretch of the word. Just to prove it a moment later, Dogga managed to get to his feet while Bashaa moaned about how heavy his friend was. Finally, Garuru got back to his feet and scoffed.

"_If that went on you definitely wouldn't have won,_" the last Wolfen grumbled.

"I know, but this training was to help you guys avoid taking hits," Ranma shrugged. "Garuru, you're too straightforward. If you had a better idea of your surroundings when you attack you would have managed to team up with Dogga better and managed to get me with more than just a scratch, but you're getting better. Dogga, your speed is improving. If you can become as fast as you are strong, you'll be able to take down any Fangire that comes along. Bashaa, you're too used to standing still when you shoot. You've gotta learn to be able to shoot while moving or else you'll be a sitting duck."

"_Hai!_" the immature Merman nodded.

With the spar over, the three monsters reverted into their human forms. Garuru changed into a wild-looking man in a ruffled butler outfit. His name was Jiro in that form and he was the groundskeeper of Castle Doran. Dogga transformed into a tall and powerful-looking man in complete and formal butler attire who called himself Riki, the official butler of Castle Doran. Lastly, Bashaa transformed into a junior high boy named Ramon who acted as the housekeeper.

"Ne, Ne, Ne, Ranma-san is as sharp as ever even when he is outside of his armour!" Ramon smiled, skipping across the room.

"I try," Ranma chuckled, getting some stiffness out of his neck.

"Don't get cocky kid," Jiro scoffed. "They won't go as easy on you as we do."

"Good…fight," Riki nodded.

"Thanks guys," Ranma smiled.

The male bonding was suddenly interrupted when the cries of a baby began to echo through the halls. Rolling his eyes, Ranma walked out of the grand hall and into one of the connecting hallways. A short stroll down the hall, he came to one of the many oak doors. Grasping the handle, he walked inside to see a nursery which held two cribs. Both of which had a baby in them. Also in the room was a woman in a long black dress and long dark hair. In her arms was the crying baby. The woman's name was Maya and the baby in her arms was her first son Taiga Nobori.

"Everything okay, Maya-san?" asked Ranma with concern.

"Taiga just woke up from his nap," Maya smiled as she swaddled her first son. "Could you see if Wataru is okay though? He woke up when Taiga started crying."

"Gladly," Ranma nodded. Strolling across the room, he went to the second crib when the younger baby was wiggling about, sucking on his fingers. Smiling, Ranma picked up the little one and rested him against his shoulder. The second baby was named Wataru Kurenai and he was Maya's second son. "Hey there, Wataru. Everything okay with you? Did your mean old big brother wake you up?"

Wataru smiled that toothless grin only babies could make. Ranma grinned too, seeing how cute the little baby could be. However, that smile turned into a grimace as he smelled something particularly foul coming from Wataru's diaper. Holding the smiling baby at arm's length, he gagged, "Oh whoa! Maya-san! Wataru needs a change!"

"He does?" Maya blinked in surprise as she bounced Taiga in her arms. "Oh dear, Wataru is such a quiet child. He hardly ever cries when he needs something. Do you think you can handle it Ranma? I know the training I put you through won't go to waste."

"Right-(cough)-right," Ranma gagged, bringing Wataru to the changing table. Removing Wataru's red and yellow footie pyjamas, he set to work on getting a clean diaper on the baby boy. "Man, Wataru, I don't know what Maya-san feeds you but she should consider switching brands or something. You'll stink up all of Castle Doran if this keeps up."

Wataru made a gurgling smile.

"You certainly have a way with children Ranma-san," Maya tittered as she tickled Taiga's tummy and made him laugh. "While your marriage prospects don't look so good, you certainly have great potential as a father. Wataru and Taiga just love you."

"I try," Ranma shrugged.

Finishing up the diaper change, which didn't make him feel as queasy as it did when he first tried, Ranma cleaned Wataru up and set him back in his clothes. Wataru was smiling the entire time, obviously enjoying the attention. Ranma just poked the boy in the stomach, making him laugh before placing back in his crib, content to watch the baby kick around for his own amusement.

"Ranma!"

Interrupted by the calling of someone, Ranma looked up to see the familiar form of Kivat-Bat III flying through the doorway. He seemed almost panicked about something, but wasn't truly freaking out just yet. He was able to keep a cool head when times were tough. For him to come into Doran shouting like he was meant that there was something important going down.

"What is it Kivat?" Ranma asked, walking over to his partner.

"I was doing patrol just like you asked," Kivat reported. "Everything looked like it was fine until a Fangire attempted to attack a pair of people. I was about to report it to you before one of them suddenly transformed!"

"Transformed?" asked Ranma. "You mean another Fangire?"

"No!" Kivat denied. "It was him! Decade!"

"Decade!" Ranma gasped. That name meant a lot to the pigtailed young man. Some time ago, a man naming himself Narutaki had appeared, proclaiming himself a prophet. He predicted that the entire world would be destroyed by one calling himself Decade if Ranma did not stop him. While Ranma didn't have any idea what this supposed Decade would look like, Narutaki assured him that he would know when he appeared. Now it seemed that Decade had done just that.

"That's not the most shocking thing though!" Kivat added.

"What is?" asked Ranma with a raised eyebrow.

"He looks just like you!" Kivat answered.

"What?" Ranma blinked.

"I mean it! A pigtail, black hair, the face is a dead ringer for yours!" Kivat nodded.

"Now this I have to see," Ranma frowned. "Where'd you see him?"

"At a hotel in the city! Follow me!" Kivat answered, flapping out of the room. Ranma nodded a quick goodbye to Maya before following his partner.

"Be careful," Maya frowned in worry as Taiga made grabbing motions in the air, almost as if he was trying to get Ranma to come back.

* * *

**Tokyo**

Kasumi and Ranma both exited the hotel that morning feeling much better and well-rested. Ranma was still in his butler attire, having no other clothes to wear, but now he was curiously carrying a violin case, complete with a violin inside. Neither of them was sure where it came from, but with no tag or other kind of identification on it, they had no idea how to return it. They tried to leave it at the front desk, thinking someone would claim it, but the clerk who had been on duty since last night confusedly looked at him as if he were crazy and said that he had brought it in with him the night before. With no choice, Kasumi and Ranma began carrying it along with them.

Returning to the square in which they appeared the previous night, both travellers decided to try and get their bearings straight.

"So, were you able to learn about this world after you changed back last night?" asked Kasumi as she and Ranma found a bench to sit at.

"Oh yeah," Ranma sighed, setting the violin down. "The kaijin of this world are called Fangires. I'm not sure if they're a sub-type of humanity like the Orphenochs are or if they're something else entirely which can just mimic being humans like Worms can. What I do know is that they feed by draining the life energy out of humans. They're very dangerous and not to be messed with. From what the suit told me, Kamen Rider Kiva is the one who fights them here."

"Then Kiva is the one we'll have to find," Kasumi nodded.

"If the trend we've been seeing is still going, then he'll turn out to be me. Well, the me of this world," Ranma chuckled. "Before we go busting our butts looking for him though, why don't we go get some breakfast?"

"Well…about that," Kasumi flushed embarrassedly. "You see…we ran out of money paying for that hotel…and we can't buy anything else."

"Oh crap," Ranma groaned, slumping on his seat. "Normally this would be where Pop goes to the populated places and robbing people blind or engage me to some sap's daughter or use me as collateral in a bet or something."

"I don't think we need to go that far," Kasumi grimaced slightly, reminded yet again of how far Genma was willing to go to get money with as little effort as possible, even if it meant using his own son. Of course, the elder Saotome would just bluster that it was a son's responsibility to take care of his father in his old age, despite the fact that Genma was not even close to old age just yet.

Ranma sighed and looked at the violin case. Curious, he undid the clasps and opened it to reveal a real violin inside. It was crafted beautifully and stained with a shade which almost seemed to be otherworldly. The handle of the instrument was topped with a maiden's head, crafted down to the finest detail and making it seem almost alive. Ranma knew nothing about instruments, but even he could tell that he was looking at a piece of art. If worst came to worst, they could probably sell it for some serious dough.

Picking up the instrument by the handle, Ranma was suddenly overcome by memories and a new drive in his body he couldn't help but obey. Taking the bow of the violin, he stood tall before resting the base of the instrument against his chin. Kasumi watched in confusion as Ranma put the bow to the strings of the instrument…and began to play.

A beautiful song began to sing from the instrument as Ranma played with all the skill of a master. Kasumi was transfixed as she watched Ranma handle the instrument like an expert. People around them were stunned by the song and the heartening effect that it had on them. Depressed blue collar workers suddenly began to feel much better. Stressed project leaders felt their worries melting away. Harasses secretaries began to feel a firm new resolve in themselves. All of it stemmed from Ranma and the song he was playing on his violin. More and more people decided to stay and listen for a little bit, finding that they had enough time to get to their jobs.

Ranma was oblivious to this as he continued to play with skill he didn't know he had. Still, he continued to play on. Striking the last note, he plucked the strings of the violin, ending the song and the trance that the object was holding over him. His shock over it didn't last very long though before clapping sounded off. Looking around, he saw the people he had attracted. All of them were applauding his skill in the violin and several were tossing VERY generous tips into the violin case in thanks for the pick-me-up before work.

"Heh, thanks," Ranma smiled gratefully, making several of the younger female workers flush and smile back.

"That was amazing, Ranma!" Kasumi applauded. "How did you learn how to play the violin?"

"I dunno," he shrugged, "But I guess the suit taught me."

The crowd paid their tips, which came out to a pretty sizable amount for a street performer and began departing. As the crowd grew thinner, a new figure could be seen standing behind them. Kasumi noticed him first and gasped, however the figure pointedly ignored her. He knew she was there since his eyes danced to her and didn't return, staying focused on Ranma instead. As the last of the crowds vanished, heading to their respective places of employment, Ranma finally noticed the lone figure standing across from him.

Himself!

"You play pretty good," the new Ranma spoke. "I've only heard that song being played by one woman and the creator of that song was the one who taught it to her…and no one else. It makes me wonder where you learned it…Decade."

"You know me," Ranma nodded. "I assume you're Kiva then?"

"You'd be right. King of the Fangires," Ranma-Kiva nodded, making his counterpart's eyes bulge at the statement. "And you are the Destroyer of Worlds. The next in line in a long line of worlds you've already taken. I aim to put a stop to that today!"

"Oh not this again," Ranma grumbled. "Listen-!"

"Kivat!" Ranma-Kiva shouted loudly.

"Yosha!!!" Kivat called out as he swooped down to Ranma-Kiva, allowing his partner to snatch him out of the air. "Kivatte ikuze!" Ranma-Kiva held Kivat near his free hand, allowing the bat-like creature to bite down. "Bite!" Ranma-Kiva's skin became covered in stained-glass-like patterns that appeared on his hands, crept up his arms and onto his cheeks. Silver chains wrapped around his waist before melting and forming a red belt with a perch on the front and slots on the side holding ornate whistles called Fuestles.

Ranma didn't waste time as he took out his Decadriver and placed it on the front of his waist, allowing the belt strap to fasten it on. He then took out his default Kamen Ride card and held it before his face as his counterpart held Kivat at arm's length.

"Henshin!" the two identical young men called out before activating their respective belts.

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!**"

Ranma-Kiva became covered in quicksilver as Kivat released a pulse while 9 Rider symbols surrounded Ranma-Decade and formed into suits of identical armour that converged onto his body, forming the solid monotone suit. The quicksilver on Ranma-Kiva came off as the panels on Ranma-Decade's belt flew up to his helmet, filling his armour with color. As the shards of silver cleared, Kiva's armour was revealed. The front and hands were covered in blood red armor while his sides and shoulders were encased in silver steel. His right foot was covered in the same, wrapped in chains. His helmet was one of the more unique designs Decade had seen; sporting large yellow eyes and red accents, making it look like a bat was on Kiva's face.

(Begin Kamen Rider Kiva opening)

_**Bakubaku Beatin' heart Kattobashite Kick it up**_

_**Bakibaki Burnin' heart Kimi koso One & Only (Wake up Wake up)**_

Kamen Rider Kiva and Kamen Rider Decade now stood facing one another. The stalemate didn't last long before Kiva lunged at Decade. The dimensional Rider twisted around the attack, but had to block when Kiva swiftly turned and struck with another punch. Grunting, Decade pushed off Kiva and backed away. He knew not many people had the reflexes and speed to recover like that. Of course, Ranma Saotome was one of those people. This wouldn't be like fighting other Riders. He would be fighting someone of his exact same skill level.

This would have been fun if Kiva wasn't out to destroy him.

_**Kimi ga sekai ni sonzai shite 'ru**_

_**Imi wo shiritaku nai?**_

_**Bakubaku Beatin' heart (Beatin' Beatin')**_

_**Bakibaki Burnin' heart (Come up Y'all)**_

Kiva and Decade lunged at each other again, unleashing powerful combos which were countered and returned only to be countered again. Both fighters used the Anything Goes style, but more to the point, they both used it in the same way. They both knew each others' moves quite well and were able to counter attacks before making their own. Their speed was the envy of all martial artists and power was not lacking in their strikes. Kiva unleashed a roundhouse kick, only for Decade to dodge. Kiva's kick then collided with a corner of a building, taking a chunk of stone out of it in the process. Decade likewise made a punch, but only for Kiva to dodge and allow Decade's fist to lave a crater in another stone surface.

Kiva made another combo, but Decade quickly grabbed his arm and threw him over his shoulder, sending his counterpart onto his back. Kiva retaliated quickly, kicking Decade in the chest and sending the dimensional counterpart away.

_**Ima wo torimaku subete no koto**_

_**Kako kara no messeeji**_

_**Bakubaku Beatin' heart (Beatin' Beatin')**_

_**Bakibaki Burnin' heart (Come up Y'all)**_

"It's no good! He knows all of your moves!" Kivat called from Kiva's belt.

"No kidding!" Kiva nodded as he leaped back to his feet. Reaching to his belt, he pulled out a Fuestle which had a blue wolf head on the front. "Then let's use something he hasn't seen before!" Taking the Fuestle, Kiva slipped it into Kivat's mouth before closing his partner's jaws.

"**Garuru Sabre!**" Kivat called, blowing into the Fuestle, making a loud whistle noise.

_**Soko ni kakurete 'te mo**_

_**Nani mo hajimannai**_

_**Tozasarete 'ta doa wo sono ashi de kowase**_

Decade blinked at the odd tactic before a light began to shine above the two fighters. Kiva looked up at the approaching light before he reached for it with his left arm. Decade watched as the light died down to reveal a blue statue styled after a wolf descending to the scene. Kiva grabbed the statue by a handle hidden behind the wolf's head before the head folded outwards and a blade not unlike that of a kris unfolded from behind the statue. Then, chains wrapped around Kiva's left arm before shattering, revealing cobalt blue armour with a shoulder pad styled to look like animal fur. More chains wrapped around Kiva's red chest, shattering again to reveal a blue front with silver slash marks along the sides. Kivat's eyes blinked several times before changing from red to blue. Finally, Kiva's eyes filled with the same cobalt blue color.

"Garuru Form," Decade muttered, recalling information that his suit gave him the previous night.

_**Me ni mieru fuan wo kazoete**_

_**Tomaranaide (Just kick it) unmei no Rule yabutte 'ku**_

_**Me ni mienai tsunagari shinjite**_

_**Ugokidasou (Just do it)**_

_**You got to change Breakin' the chain**_

_**Tobashite 'ke ashita e**_

_**Don't be afraid (The) world is your stage... Go**_

Kiva let loose a howl before he lunged at Decade. Decade was then caught by surprise as Kiva slashed at him. Decade blocked with his forearm but the force of the blow sent him staggering backwards as sparks flew from the impact. Kiva continued to snarl and growl before continuing the assault. It was like Ranma in his Neko-Ken state, save more controlled and yet more savage.

Decade quickly drew his Ride Booker and converted it to Sword Mode just as Kiva came down with the Garuru Sabre. Their weapons locked as they pushed against each other. Decade dug his feet into the ground before pushing Kiva back and then he used a kick that hit Kiva in the stomach, sending the Rider stumbling backwards. Kiva didn't seem particularly wounded, but instead snarled and went for another wild barrage of sword strikes. Each one felt particularly heavy and powerful. There was definitely more to the sword than a costume change and new fighting style.

Dodging an overhead blow, Decade drew one of his cards from his Ride Booker, "Might need some backup on this one. Henshin!" Slipping the card into his Decadriver, he shut it securely.

"**Kamen Ride: Faiz!**"

_**Me ni mieru fuan wo kazoete**_

_**Tomaranaide (Just kick it) unmei no Rule yabutte 'ku**_

_**Me ni mienai tsunagari shinjite**_

_**Ugokidasou (Just do it)**_

_**You got to change Breakin' the chain**_

_**Tobashite 'ke ashita e**_

_**Don't be afraid (The) world is your stage... Go**_

Photon lines spread over Decade's armour before red light flashed, changing him into the form of Kamen Rider Faiz. Kiva blinked at the radical transformation, but he didn't let it distract him for long. Growling, he charged at D-Faiz, his sword held high. D-Faiz returned in kind, letting the Ride Booker collide against the Garuru Sabre, steel clashing against steel. D-Faiz quickly took control of the scuffle and pushed both his blade and the Garuru Sabre into the ground. With Kiva's weapon unusable for the moment, D-Faiz drew a card and quickly slipped it into the Decadriver while Kiva tried to free his weapon.

"**Attack Ride: Autovajin!**"

Kiva growled angrily before he kicked D-Faiz away, freeing his weapon. However, his next attack was interrupted when the sounds of a rocket engine or turbine sounded off from above. Looking up, Kiva felt his eyes widen when he saw a mecha of some kind descending from above. The Smart Brain robot quickly took stock of the situation before bringing its wheel arm to bear. Kiva didn't get much time to even blink before he was belted with numerous gunshots from the chain gun which was built into the flying machine.

"Gah! Ah! Ow!" Kiva snarled, quickly leaping for cover behind a building where the bullets couldn't reach him.

"Oi! If that's the way he wants to play it! We'll go gun to gun!" Kivat frowned.

"Right!" Kiva growled, drawing out another Fuestle, this one with a green fish head on the front. Quickly slipping it between Kivat's lips, the mechanical bat gave it a sharp blow.

"**Bashaa Magnum!**" he cried, blowing several trumpet-like notes.

_**Bakubaku Beatin' heart Kattobashite Kick it up (Wake up Wake up)**_

The Garuru Sabre quickly folded up and flew away as the trumpet sounded off. Kiva's cobalt arm and torso quickly reverted to normal, as did his and Kivat's eyes. However, as the Garuru Sabre flew away, a green fishman statue descended, allowing Kiva to catch it with his right hand. The statue then unfolded into what appeared to be an ornate green and gold gun with fins sticking from the barrel. Like with the Garuru Sabre, chains wrapped around Kiva's right arm before shattering, revealing emerald green armour with fins sticking from the forearm and shoulder. His red chest armour was likewise changed into an emerald green front styled after a human torso. Finally, his and Kivat's eyes shifted to bright green.

"Let's see how he handles Bashaa Form!" Kivat crowed as Kiva dashed out into the open again.

_**Kimi no oto ga nazo wo toku imeeji**_

_**Mekurumeku ameijingu**_

_**Bakubaku Beatin' heart (Beatin' Beatin')**_

_**Bakibaki Burnin' heart (Come up Y'all)**_

Dashing out, Kiva raised his new weapon at the Autovajin. The robot quickly found its target and began opening fire on the nocturnal Kamen Rider, aiming to stop him. Kiva likewise took swift aim at the flying robot before beginning a barrage of high speed water bullets. In Bashaa Form, Kiva's reflexes and accuracy were enhanced by the last Merman, allowing him to see the bullets coming much easier and thus more capable of dodging them. At the same time, he was able to get a better line of sight to the flying robot D-Faiz had summoned. Water bullets collided against the frame of the Autajin, knocking off its balance and making it swerve in the air. Free of the machine's bullets, Kiva unleashed more shots, shooting the flight wheel the Autovajin used to stay in the air. There was a small explosion before the Autovajin fell to earth, creating a large crater. When the dust managed to clear, the Autavajin was gone, leaving the Machine Decader behind.

"Oh crap," D-Faiz groaned.

_**Kanadete motto hade ni jiyuu wo**_

_**Kasaneaeba Duo**_

_**Bakubaku Beatin' heart (Beatin' Beatin')**_

_**Bakibaki Burnin' heart (Come up Y'all)**_

Kiva turned his gaze to the surprised D-Faiz. Before D-Faiz could actually try to make a proper retaliation, Kiva unleashed another barrage of water bullets. Each and every shot collided with pinpoint accuracy, sending sparks flying from each impact. D-Faiz cried out in pain as he was sent to the ground, his suit vanishing in red pixels to return to its regular Decade form.

Grunting, Decade got to his knees, "Okay. You're a pretty good shot." Getting to his knees, he opened his Ride Booker and grabbed another card. "I wonder how well you can shoot when I'm moving too fast to see." Grabbing a card, he opening the Decadriver and tossed said card inside. "Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Caucasus!**"

_**Kimi wa arinomama de**_

_**Tokubetsu na sonzai**_

_**Unmei to wa jibun de kirihiraku mon' sa**_

The Caucasus armour formed over Decade, leaving him looking like his counterpart in Kabuto World. Kiva was wary, but not interested in holding back when he began shooting at D-Caucasus. The now gold Kamen Rider twisted and dove around the shots. Rolling underneath one of those water bullets, he drew a card and tossed it into the Decadriver, shutting it as he managed to get back up to his feet again.

"**Attack Ride: Clock Up!**"

D-Caucasus vanished in a gold blur. However, thanks to Bashaa enhancing Kiva's eyesight, Kiva could see something of a gold blur running around the area. He quickly opened fire, trying to shoot down the moving D-Caucasus, but was missing by a wide margin each time. Kiva continued to shoot, but was then suddenly blindsided by the gold blur, knocking him off of his feet. Getting up, he tried to spot D-Caucasus again, only to be hit from the side again. A third attack sent Kiva sailing down some stone steps, forcing him to drop the Bashaa Magnum. Without it being in contact with Kiva, it was forced to vanish back to Castle Doran, taking Kiva's enhancements with it.

"Damn!" Kiva hissed. Decade was proving to be living up to his hype. Reaching to his belt, he grabbed a third Fuestle, this one decorated with a purple fist. "Time to see how he likes Dogga!"

"**Dogga Hammer!**" Kivat cried as the Fuestle was inserted into his mouth, allowing him to blow a foghorn-like tune.

_**Dare datte hitori nante koto**_

_**Arienakute (Just kick it) jibun no Roots sagashite 'ku**_

_**Soko ni aru tashika na kizuna wo**_

_**Wasurenaide (Just do it)**_

_**You got to change Breakin' the chain**_

_**Arittake no tsuyosa de**_

_**Don't be afraid (The) world is your stage...**_

A bulky purple statue descended from above before changing configuration to look like a large fist. A black handle then extended from underneath which Kiva gripped tightly. Chains covered both of his arms before shattering to reveal thick purple armour which shielded his hands from view and large shoulder pads. Chains then wrapped around his chest, shattering to reveal metallic purple armour imitating a human physique. Finally, Kivat and Kiva's eyes turned to a matching shade of purple, completing the change to Dogga Form.

Kiva remained stationary as he held his hammer before him with the fist pointed forward. He pulled a hidden switch and the ball of the fist-like hammer opened, revealing a red eyes. This eye was connected to Kiva and he could see right through the eye of the Dogga Hammer's palm. It was capable of seeing things which were usually unable to be seen by the naked eye. It was part of what made the Franken Clan so dangerous, the inability to fool them with disguise or magic. They could see through all of it, which was probably why the Fangires wiped almost all of them out. Thankfully, this powerful eye would be able to help Kiva fight Decade.

_**Uketsugu mono to kimi ga tsukuru mono kitto**_

_**Sore ga shoumei**_

_**Kimi dake no Harmony goes on tsumiagete**_

_**Time is now Start it now... Break the chain**_

Kiva peered through the eye, and wasn't disappointed with its abilities. The golden blur was quite visible now and already Kiva could begin predicting its movements thanks to his combat-centric mind. Reaching an epiphany, Kiva hoisted the Dogga Hammer up before swinging in a complete 180 degree circle. At first it seemed that he was going to hit nothing, but when he finished the circle, sparks flew as something was struck.

"Waaaagh!" D-Caucasus cried as he was struck out of Clock Up and sent through the air. Crashing into a bench, he groaned as his armour reverted back to Decade. "Ow!"

_**Me ni mieru fuan wo kazoete**_

_**Tomaranaide (Just kick it) unmei no Rule yabutte 'ku**_

_**Me ni mienai tsunagari shinjite**_

_**Ugokidasou (Just do it)**_

_**You got to change Breakin' the chain**_

_**Dare datte hitori nante koto**_

_**Arienakute (Just kick it) jibun no Roots sagashite 'ku**_

_**Soko ni aru tashika na kizuna wo**_

_**Wasurenaide (Just do it)**_

_**You got to change Breakin' the chain**_

_**Arittake no tsuyosa de**_

_**Don't be afraid (The) world is your stage... Go**_

"Hade enough Decade?" asked Kiva, hefting his hammer over his shoulder.

"Not even close!" Decade grunted as he got to his feet. Taking another card, he slid it into his Decadriver with a cry of "Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Ryuki!**"

The Armour of Ryuki quickly formed over Decade, changing him to D-Ryuki. Kiva quickly gripped the Dogga Hammer and prepared for another attack. D-Ryuki likewise acted fast by taking another card and activating it with the Decadriver.

"**Attack Ride: Strike Vent!**"

The Drag Claw appeared over D-Ryuki's hand, ready to be used. Both Riders stared each other down with their weapons at the ready. Purple lightning crackled over the Dogga Hammer while flames lapped out of the mouth of the Drag Claw. Both Riders were determined not to end up the loser because being the one who lost meant death.

"YAAAHHHH!!" the two Riders roared, fire and electricity beginning to surge between them both as they charged for one another.

_**Bakubaku Beatin' heart Kattobashite Kick it up**_

_**Bakibaki Burnin' heart Kimi koso One & Only**_

"STOP IIIIIIIIIIIIT!"

Kasumi's shriek/demand to end the violence quickly killed any kind of aggression that the two Riders were sporting. Looking over to the eldest Tendo, they found her panting and slightly flushed, probably embarrassed about screaming like that it public. Neither D-Ryuki nor Kiva had really paid much attention to her when their fight began. Now seeing the housedress-sporting young woman walking towards them looking most upset, both Riders could only gulp as it dawned on them that they were in trouble.

"Kasumi!" D-Ryuki let out only to be silenced by the look on her face. She was disappointed in him.

"Ranma-kun, we are here to find Kiva-san to help his world with a threat, remember?" Kasumi frowned, her hands on her hips. "We are not here to fight him to see who is stronger like you've done with your rivals in the past!" D-Ryuki gulped at Kasumi's stern lecture. Kiva remained quiet, but quickly paled when Kasumi turned her gaze on him. "And you Kiva-san! Since you're Ranma-kun I would think that you would know better than to just simply pick fights out of the blue! Who told you that Decade was a destroyer of worlds?"

"Well…uh…he…" Kiva sputtered, forgetting that he was a super powered individual wielding a powerful magical hammer.

"Who told you?" Kasumi repeated, crossing her arms sternly.

"Some guy named Narutaki!" Kiva answered rapidly. "Dresses in a brown coat and hat! Wore glasses! Said he was a prophet!"

"I see," Kasumi sighed, making both Riders hold their breath for a moment. "I am sorry to tell you Kiva-san, but you have been fooled. This Narutaki has been attacking Ranma-kun for no reason in the last few worlds. He has even teamed up with the enemies of Riders in order to try and destroy him. He is not above turning other Riders against him to help do this."

"What?!" Kiva gaped. He had been duped!?

"Now, please remove your suits so that we may talk like civilized people," Kasumi insisted. Her voice offered no room for argument.

The two young men complied. D-Ryuki removed the card in the Decadriver, returning him to his Decade form. He then removed the belt, returning to his regular human form. Kivat quickly detached himself from Kiva's belt, letting the armour turn to silver before shifting and returning back to Ranma Saotome's regular human form as well. Both of the young men were quite mollified and looking down in the gaze of Kasumi's disappointed frown.

"There, now we'll go someplace where there is some privacy for us to talk," Kasumi nodded. "Kiva-san, do you know a place?"

"Yes," Ranma-Kiva quickly nodded. "I live there. Castle Doran. As private as it can be!"

"Excellent," Kasumi smiled. "We'll go there."

Neither Ranma was willing to disagree with the eldest Tendo woman.

* * *

"Curse you, Decade!!!" Narutaki swore as his plan to have Kiva destroy Decade failed. He had arrived after seeing how the Ryuki Riders were no longer trusting his word, deciding to recruit Kiva in defeating Decade. He had even hidden himself and watched Decade and Kiva fight, only for the female companion of Decade's to stop the fight, ruining the plan. He would have to think of something new and soon. Decade could not be allowed to continue his journey further. As long as Decade existed, all the worlds were under the threat of destruction.

* * *

The Machine Decader and a crimson and gothic styled Honda Shadow 750 called the Machine Kivaa pulled up to one of the high rise buildings which were quite numerous in Tokyo. Shutting their bikes off both Ranmas and Kasumi dismounted from the vehicles before removing their helmets.

"You sure this is where Doran moved now?" asked Ranma-Kiva to his partner.

"It is," Kivat nodded, unlatching from Ranma-Kiva's jacket and taking to the air. "I checked with Maya and she said they'd be taking Doran here."

"Um, excuse me, but didn't you say Doran was where you lived?" asked Ranma. "How can it just move by itself?"

"Oh, that's easy," Ranma-Kiva grinned. "Doran's a living fortress. He can move anywhere me and my housemates want. When dawn comes around, he moves someplace else so people aren't sure where to find him. The only problem is actually getting somewhere that can hide him."

"Oh," Ranma nodded, accepting the answer. Then the full implication hit him. "Wait, what?!"

"Follow us," Kivat gestured, perching on Ranma-Kiva's shoulder.

The group travelled to the front doors of the building, noting the very modern architecture. People in suits were milling about, talking on phones, passing along documents, etc. Kasumi had to admire all of the activity and energy in the place. Ranma just blinked, not having been in such a place before while Ranma-Kiva took it in stride, having long since become used to it all. Still, it looked like one of those places which reeked of money.

"You actually live here?" asked Ranma in awe.

"In the parts which house Doran," Ranma-Kiva answered. "One of my housemates actually owns this entire building and rents out the lower sections to businesses and such. The higher parts are for Doran and the people who live there."

"Oh my," Kasumi gasped softly. This version of Ranma seemed to have done very well for himself.

"Come on, let me introduce you to the family."

Ranma-Kiva escorted the group to an elevator before opening it with a key from his pocket. The doors slid open, revealing a polished wooden surface within and a carpet covering the floor. Ranma and Kasumi were surprised by how fancy the elevator was, but didn't hesitate in stepping inside. There was only one button which went up, but considering where Ranma-Kiva lived, one button was all that was needed. When everyone was inside, Ranma-Kiva pressed that single button, allowing the doors to close and the elevator to begin its ascent.

"Going up."

The ride was somewhat tense, considering how Ranma and his counterpart had been fighting so fiercely just a short time ago. Kasumi just found the ride pleasant as she found most things. Kivat seemed to be the only one who was remotely amused, having seen his partner and the so-called Destroyer of Worlds being browbeat by an average young woman with no special powers. He couldn't wait to tell the others about this.

The ascent felt slow, almost tortuously so. Still, no one complained since it was a tall building so any trip would be reasonably long. Ranma merely fidgeted a bit, not used to being in such enclosed spaces after being raised in open spaces for so long. Thankfully the elevator ride ended without major incident. The doors slid open again, revealing polished wooden walls lit by torches. It screamed of western influences, but the flickering torchlight wade it seem almost magical.

"Oh my," Kasumi gasped softly as she admired the hallways.

"Welcome to Castle Doran," Ranma-Kiva spoke. "If you'd follow me, I'll introduce you to my housemates. Please don't touch anything either. Even I'm not sure just what might try to hit you back yet."

Ranma and Kasumi looked at each other for a moment before they followed the Kiva World native. The hallway travel was short before they exited into what the two visitors figured was the Grand Hall. It was certainly large enough to pass as one. Inside were a few people who the dimensional travellers assumed to be Ranma-Kiva's housemates. Sitting at a table near the windows were a trio of males, two being men and one a young boy, who were playing Old Maid. Near the fireplace was a woman cooing over a bassinet with two baby boys inside, babbling and giggling back at their mother.

"Tadaima!" Ranma-Kiva called as he and the group stepped into the hall.

"Okaeri nasai," the woman replied as she looked up. Her eyes widened as she gasped at the sight of the two Ranmas. "Wha-? Ranma-kun, there's…there's…:

"Ne ne ne!" the young boy from the trio suddenly called out, having seen the group enter. "There's two of Ranma!"

"Eh?" grunted a wild-looking man. "What the hell?"

"Yeah, I know," Ranma-Kiva shrugged as he entered the room and headed for a chair that was situated in the middle of it. "I was a little surprised too. I was even more surprised to hear that the prophet who claimed to be trying to save our world turned out to be lying."

"Lying?" asked the woman. "What do you mean?"

"It seems that this so-called prophet has been after Decade ever since he began his journey through other worlds," Ranma-Kiva explained. Looking over to his counterpart, he asked, "And you said you've never seen the guy before until he had you attacked by monsters under his control?"

"That's right," Ranma frowned. "He just seems to hate me for some reason. He's sent other Riders after me and doesn't seem to offer any kind of explanation as to why he wants to get rid of me. Usually when someone goes after me I've met them before or my pop did something to tick them off."

"Amen to that," Ranma-Kiva nodded. Looking to his housemates, he continued. "Being a good host, I suppose introductions are in order," he gestured to the trio playing with cards. "These are my friends and battle partners. Riki is the tall one, Ramon is the youngest, and Jiro is the wolfish-looking one. You actually met them when I summoned the Monster Arms to try and beat you."

"You did?" Ranma blinked. He'd have to hear more about this later.

"Yup," Ranma-Kiva nodded. "Next we have Maya who is the one who's graciously allowing us to use her home as a place to live. The two babies with her are her sons Taiga Nobori and Wataru Kurenai. Everyone, I want you to meet my counterpart Ranma Saotome and Kasumi Tendo, both from a different world."

"It is nice to meet you," Kasumi bowed politely.

"Likewise," Maya smiled just as politely.

"With that out of the way, let's see if we can start getting some details out of each other over just what the heck is going on," Ranma-Kiva nodded, turning to the tall man, Riki. "Riki, do you think you could get us all some tea if it isn't too much trouble?"

"No problem," Riki nodded stoically as he stood up and began heading out of the room. The other two men quickly collected their cards before Jiro moved their table over to where Ranma-Kiva was sitting. Ramaon was collecting chairs for Ranma and Kasumi to sit in while Maya was moving her sons over to the group so they could talk. Of course, Kasumi was instantly at the babies' side, cooing over them and making them laugh. Maya smiled warmly at seeing her sons accept the new woman so easily.

"So just why are you here in this world anyway?" Ranma-Kiva asked his counterpart.

"Well, that's a long story," Ranma sighed.

"I have nothing but time," Ranma-Kiva retorted.

* * *

In another part of the city, a man was stumbling through an old junkyard, terrified for his life. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would normally be in this kind of place or situation. However, the one odd fact about him was the stained glass markings on his face.

"Leave me alone!" the man cried, terrified.

The man's shouting revealed that he was being followed. No features were visible of the person because of the distance between the two of them. However, it could be seen that he was reaching for something in his jacket. Bringing the item to his hands, it began speaking in a dark mechanical voice.

"**Ready!**"

* * *

Ranma then went to explain about the convergence of the worlds which would result in a forceful merger and finally the destruction of all reality. Ranma had been given the powers of Decade to stop the convergence of the worlds, traveling from one world to the next and saving those worlds with the native Ranma and Riders of those worlds.

Ranma-Kiva whistled, "Sounds like a huge job."

"Yeah, but I get by with a little help from the other mes," Ranma replied. "Now that I've told you my story, what's yours? How did you become Kiva and get all this."

"That too is a long story."

"I have nothing but time," Ranma quoted his Kiva World counterpart.

"Well, I guess you can say it all started when I fought a Frog Fangire…"

-FLASHBACK-

_The sun had set and night had already arrived. Still, the night never bothered Ranma as he walked home. He had been exposed to it enough times when he was little. Still, he didn't let his guard down. He never really could since someone could attack him at any time._

_Suddenly, Ranma sensed someone attacked and jumped out of the way quickly to evade a sneak attack. As he got into a stance, he was expecting to see one of his usual rivals or fiancées…not this._

_What had attacked him appeared to be a frog-man with warts sticking out on stalks on its shoulders and warts covering its forearms. Its body was black but had stained glass looking skin all over. It had a large throat sack that was a reddish pink color and red eyes…and it didn't look happy._

"_So…hungry…__" the frog creature said._

"_O…kay," Ranma blinked. This was something brand new to him._

_The frog monster groaned before it roared loudly. The warts on stalks began to glow brightly before they launched at the pigtailed martial artist like bullets. Ranma reacted quickly and leaped to the side, letting the warts explode against the pavement, leaving small holes where they had hit._

"_This guy's serious," Ranma frowned. This wasn't like when the rivals would attack him. This monster seemed to want his death with all its body._

_Roaring again, the monster charged at Ranma. It swiped at him widely, which Ranma could easily dodge. Still, the threat of the impact was there. Ranma recognized the signs of starvation. It was acting sluggishly and was stumbling. Besides, moaning about being hungry was a big indicator. The movements were just proof._

"_Hah!" Ranma grunted as he planted a fierce uppercut into its face, knocking the beast backwards. Pressing his advantage, Ranma charged forward while he pooled his ki into his fist. "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!"_

_Ranma planted over a hundred high speed punches into the monster's face and chest. The speed was too much for the creature to follow. The impacts rained down on it as it stumbled back. The pain quickly followed, making the monster's vision swim. It rested against a wall, panting audibly._

"_You've had enough?" Ranma frowned. Being attacked by animals and such was nothing new to him. Usually they were just cheesed off about something done to insult them or such. This thing was just hungry. What it ate was a mystery to Ranma._

"_RAHHHHHH!!__" the frog monster roared out in primal anger. Getting up, it charged at Ranma before swiping at him wildly._

"_Waoh!" Ranma cried as he ducked under the blow. He then swerved to miss getting kicked by the beast. This thing wasn't going to be giving up anytime soon. Still, it was mad, which would work in Ranma's favor._

_Moving into action, Ranma began to lead the beast into a familiar pattern. The pair started walking in a circle while the monster raged while trying to strike Ranma. The pigtailed martial artist just kept his cool. In fact, he was slipping into a technique known as the Soul of Ice. It was one part of the more advanced techniques that Ranma was intimately familiar with. Getting closer to the centre of the spiral, he prepared to unleash it._

"_HIRYU SHOTEN HA!" Ranma roared as he finally unleashed the blast as the monster leaped at him. _

_A veritable wind storm kicked up around both Ranma and the frog monster. The force of the power launched the monster into the sky. It roared the entire way, desperately, trying to grab Ranma, even if he was long out of its reach. As the beast reached the zenith of its flight though, something odd began to happen. The stained glass skin began to crack and break. Underneath the colored glass were gray color tones. While the skin was breaking, rainbow colored energy was falling out and raining down on the ground. The power was hurled around the cyclone, turning it into a kaleidoscope of energy and color._

_Ranma felt the cyclone slowly getting out of control. It was like when he first used it on Happosai. There was more power than he had anticipated. Obviously whatever the thing was, it was pretty strong. He had to stop the cyclone somehow. Considering his options, Ranma began to draw the residual ki back into his body. What better way to stop the attack than to draw the source of energy back into himself?_

_Slowly, ever so slowly, the storm began to die down as Ranma concentrated drawing the power back into himself. It was partially his so it was rather easy. As he did so however, Ranma didn't notice the rainbow energy also being pulled out of the winds and absorbed into his body. His eyes were closed and he was too deep in a trance to think otherwise. Ranma kept concentrating as he absorbed more and more energy from the tornado, including the rainbow energy that the monster had given off. Finally, he absorbed so much that the storm couldn't sustain itself anymore. It quickly died down as Ranma finally caught his breath and stopped absorbing energy. He was still clueless of what else he had picked up while reclaiming his ki._

_Several feet away, the frog monster crashed to the ground. It groaned audibly as it tried to get back up. However, it was noticeably different now. Where there was color before was now gray tones. The monster ad been drained of its power and had nothing left. Grunting in pain, the monster looked up to see Ranma staring at it._

"_Nng!__" the monster moaned. Struggling to its feet, it made a break for it. Running around a corner, it fled for its life. Ranma was too winded to follow._

"_Heh, still the best," Ranma grunted as he tried to get his senses back. He felt a little dizzy for some reason. Shrugging it off, he started heading back to the dojo. He was late anyway, why make it worse?_

_However, he didn't notice that stained glass markings spread across his face for a moment before vanishing again._

END FLASHBACK

"Wait, you absorbed the Fangire's energy by drawing the Hiryu Shoten Ha back into your body?" asked Ranma.

"Yeah, as nutty as that sounds it's true," Ranma-Kiva nodded. "It sort of made me into an artificial Fandiri, half Fangire and half human."

"Ranma is very lucky that the Fangire was weak and near starvation," Maya added, bouncing Taiga on her lap. Kasumi was already assisting the mother of two by playing with Wataru and keeping him happy. "Otherwise the infusion of energy might have killed him should that Fangire have been strong. People with human blood in them can't handle Fangire energy being injected in them. The odds of surviving it even once are very low."

"I've made it a habit to beat the odds every time," Ranma-Kiva snickered. "Anyway, the Fangire power I absorbed was having its effect on me. Food didn't seem too appealing anymore and I couldn't even sleep through classes either. I kind of chalked that up to not feeling well, but what really drove it home was when Ryoga attacked me with one of his Shi Shi Hakodans and I ended up eating it since it looked so appetizing. By then I figured something was wrong with me."

"Oh my. What did you do?" asked Kasumi.

"Well, I had discovered I could actually swallow energy blasts, which is something I never heard of before so I decided to go on a training trip and meet some of the ki masters I met during the ten-year training trip and see what their opinion was," Ranma-Kiva explained. "Doc Tofu was still on his sabbatical so I couldn't reach him. As I was making the trip though, I ended up inside Fangire Grove where Castle Doran likes to hide sometimes. It's only visible to Fangires and apparently those with Fangire energy inside of them. I was more than a little surprised to see Doran snoozing on the ground."

"We thought he was a Fangire and decided to take him out," Jiro added. "He kicked our asses in human form so we decided to use our true forms. Freaked him right out," he added with a snicker.

"Yeah, seeing three guys transform into a Franken, Merman, and Wolfen would freak almost anyone out," Ranma-Kiva muttered. "Sure didn't stop me from pounding your butts."

"Ne ne ne, but you changed into a girl when I shot you!" Ramon pouted. "Who wouldn't be stunned by that?"

"And I managed to send you guys into the dirt too," Ranma-Kiva snickered.

"We would have gotten our second wind until Maya felt your human energy mixed with Fangire," Jiro frowned. "Otherwise we would have broken you!"

"Right, right," Ranma-Kiva shrugged, making the wild man growl.

"Ranma had shot one of his Moko Takabisha attacks and when it raced past the window, I felt the human and Fangire energy mixed within," Maya explained. "None of the Fangires who would actually try to harm us would employ a human-Fangire hybrid. It was enough to try and stop the fight to try and see just what was going on."

"Okay," Ranma nodded. "But why would the Fangires be after you guys?"

Maya immediately turned a little downcast at the question. Ranma feared he put his foot in his mouth again like he always seemed to do now and again. However, Ranma-Kiva glanced at Maya as if he were asking permission for something. Seeing Maya's small nod, Ranma-Kiva continued.

"Well, Maya is the former Queen of the Fangires and Taiga is the future King," Ranma-Kiva explained. "However, Maya fell in love with a human named Otoya Kurenai and their love brought Wataru. However, the former King wasn't a real stable guy. He was mad when he found out Maya fell in love with a human. So much he threatened to kill his own son so Maya would never see Otoya again."

"Oh my!" Kasumi gasped in shock. What a terrible man!

"Otoya mounted a rescue attempt and even managed to steal the Kiva power with the help of Kivat-Bat the Second," Ranma-Kiva continued.

"My father," Kivat added.

"Otoya managed to beat the King with the help of someone else, but Maya won't tell me who," Ranma-Kiva sighed. "But…it was too much for him and he ended up dying from the exposure to the Kiva power. A lot of Fangires blame Maya for their King's death and aren't shy in making their displeasure known. So much so that they actually try to hunt her down and kill her for it."

"And so you became the new Kiva to protect her, am I correct?" concluded Kasumi.

"Dang right," Ranma-Kiva snickered. "I offered to help protect Wataru and Taiga however I could. It was Kivat who told me that I could use the power of Kiva. Since I have Fangire power in me, I don't suffer from the toxic side effects that using the suit brings. Despite the life-threatening fights that I have to deal with, it's not such a bad job."

"So how did the others in Nerima take it?" asked Ranma.

"Ugh," Ranma-Kiva groaned. "That nuthouse is as loony as ever. I told everyone I had gotten a job as a bodyguard, but no one was happy about it and demanded I tell them who I was protecting, why, and where. The fiancées wanted to know if it was a woman and the rivals were just out for blood like always. I tried to explain Maya's situation without exposing the Fangire stuff, but ever since the failed wedding it's been like they're ignoring everything except what they want to hear."

"Like always," Ranma grumbled.

"Pop and Mr. Tendo said I should just leave Maya to her own devices after I said she had some other bodyguards, but I can't turn my back on her. It wouldn't be right or honourable," Ranma-Kiva sighed. "Of course, to those two dopes anything that doesn't help them get into the early retirement that they feel they deserve after training to be sneaks and thieves as well as martial artists under Happosai is dishonourable."

"Preaching to the choir here," Ranma nodded. "They're so determined to unite the schools they don't even care that Akane and I have to agree with it in a sound mind and body. They just can't knock us out and hold the wedding. Well, not unless they bribe a priest to go along with it anyway. Then again, I wouldn't put it past those two to try."

"Mom's been supportive though," Ranma-Kiva nodded. "Once she heard Maya was a beautiful widow, she was all for me becoming her bodyguard. I think she's expecting me to be manly with her and help make a few grandkids. Of course, once Pop hears Maya's rich he'll try to find Doran so he can steal everything worth a bit of yen that isn't nailed down. That or try and make me do it with some flimsy excuse about him being my dad and I have to obey him."

"Good luck," Jiro snorted. "He tries that and he'll get a nasty surprise."

"Sounds like the day to day routine in my life," Ranma nodded, certainly feeling sympathetic to his counterpart.

"Yeah, well, it got worse when Maya decided to try to talk to Mom about my new job and brought the boys along," Ranma-Kiva sighed. "Mom just loved the boys and even asked if one of them was my child with Maya. As usual, the fiancée brigade had arrived to try and sweet talk where I work out of Mom so they could try and 'convince' Maya not to do anything with me. They heard Mom ask if Taiga or Wataru were my child…"

"Oh my," Kasumi gasped softly, already guessing where this was going to lead to.

"Lemme guess, they jumped to conclusions and figured Maya had to go, right?" asked Ranma.

"They went ballistic," Ranma-Kiva growled. "They tried to attack Maya and didn't care that Wataru and Taiga were nearby. All they cared about was getting rid of the woman who had apparently seduced me away from them. It was like the wedding fiasco all over again and this time they were determined to draw blood and were not going to listen to anything except for words they wanted to hear. I arrived after the fight started since Maya asked me to get some things from a store, but once I got there the fathers began hounding me about cheating on my 'kind and gentle' fiancée, even when Akane was clearly trying to hit Maya with a mallet, calling her a pervert."

"So…what happened?" asked Kasumi.

"I may not be the Queen anymore, but I am still powerful," Maya replied. "Fighting off four spoiled little girls isn't too much of a task for me. I defeated all four of them and rendered them unconscious. However, I was very displeased with the callous disregard for my sons' safety. I was even further insulted by the middle daughter's attempts to charge me for the damage to her home despite the fact the fiancées were the ones who did it. However, I didn't have to lift a finger. Nodoka did it all for me."

"Mom was pissed," Ranma-Kiva chuckled. "Showing such unfeminine behaviour and endangering the lives of two babies just because they jumped to conclusions and lost their tempers. She lodged complaints with all of their families about the incident. The Kunos ignored it like they do everything that doesn't fit into their reality. Ukyo and Shampoo were missing for a month, but when they came back they were sporting tons of bruises. Akane…well, it was up to Mr. Tendo to discipline her, but the guy has all the spine of an earthworm and thinks Akane can do no wrong so Mom just thinks he punished Akane when in fact he didn't do anything and instead yelled at me for not marrying her."

"…when I think he couldn't be any dumber," Ranma muttered. "I'm surprised she didn't just end the engagements."

"Well, you know Mom," Ranma-Kiva shrugged. "Always holding out for grandkids."

"So, you've been staying here ever since, huh?" Ranma asked.

"Hey, the company here maybe monsters but at least it's peaceful. I got a roof over my head, great company, and all the sparring practice I want without the threat on my life," shrugged Ranma-Kiva.

"I can still beat you at Old Maid and Chess," stated Jiro.

"As long as I stay here, nobody can find me. I'm no coward but even I have my limits. Protecting Maya and the boys is a full-time job and I can't keep letting the Wrecking Crew get in my way for their various reasons," Ranma-Kiva said, ignoring the barb the Wolfen shot at him. The slight tick on his face showed that he heard it though. "I'd rather fight for the sake of others for the right reasons than to honour some pledge that lost its meaning a long time ago."

"How nice," Kasumi smiled as she tickled Wataru in his bassinet, much to the boy's delight. "So Kiva-kun, are you the new Fangire King truthfully?"

"He isn't," Jiro answered. "The power of the Fangire royalty is passed down and those who receive it truly know they are those figures. However, a sign of Royalty is to transform into Kiva. Since Ranma has been seen almost always in the company of Maya and transforming into Kiva by a few Fangires, many of them assume that Ranma is the new King. Since no one knows Maya has lost her power, they assume that Ranma is Maya's consort and Wataru's father."

"As handsome as he is, Ranma is just too young for me," Maya giggled slightly. "Besides, I have two children to take care of. I have no time for a new lover." In truth, Maya was still mourning for Otoya, her first true love. She wasn't sure if she would find the courage to love again one day or not. For now, she loved her children and was surrounded by friends and allies. That would be enough for her.

"Aren't you several centuries old?" Ranma-Kiva asked only to pale when she fixed a glare on him.

"It's not polite to mention a woman's age, Ranma," Maya chided.

"S-sorry!"

"Guess you and I have still have that same problem of talking without thinking first," Ranma chuckled at his counterpart.

* * *

A man was fleeing in terror before he tripped. Turning over, he begged for mercy. "Please…please no…!!!" His face gained stained-glass like markings.

"Fangires like you are a mistake of nature and I am here to rectify it," said the figure. He was clad in dark armour and in his right hand was a red blade that was glowing brightly in the fading light.

Watching the Fangire in human form trembling in fear, the figure inserted his red blade into a black mechanism on his belt. He then reached to the side of his belt, bringing out a black whistle-like object which was decorated with a blood red blade image on it. Taking the item, he inserted it into a hollow slot in his buckle. A blood red stone flashed, glowing before the figure pushed his inserted blade deeper into the mechanism, making red light shine from within the machine.

"**Anti-Crosser Descend!**" the mechanism spoke in a dark mechanical voice.

The dark figure retrieved his bladed weapon, but now the blade was truly glowing with a blood red light. It had even extended to the length of an actual sword rather than the dagger it had been but a few moments before. The Fangire in human form backpedalled away, only to find a dead end waiting for him. The sword-wielding figure simply gripped his weapon before unleashing a pair of wide slashes which left bright afterimages in the air as the Fangire didn't even have time to scream before his body was cut into three pieces as easily as a hot knife through butter. The Fangire just seemed to stare out in horror before his entire body crystallized and shattered.

Snorting, the figure placed his blade back into his belt and left the scene, leaving a pile of shattered glass behind. "This isn't enough. More of those unnaturals still walk the streets and Kiva's the worst of them all. I have to find a way to destroy them all once and for all!"

Kicking some of the shards near his feet away, the darkened figure walked away from the scene.

* * *

**Castle Doran**

Since no one had a chance to have breakfast, Riki made up a meal for everyone. As expected, both Ranmas were eating up a storm and practically fighting each other for food. Neither was giving an inch as they stole from each others' plate or stole entire dishes away. Of course, Ramon thought it was fun and decided to get in on it by sneaking around the quarrelling pair and getting second or third helpings for himself while they were busy fighting.

"Hey! Get your own rice!" Ranma growled, blocking a fork from stealing his fish.

"It goes to the man with the fastest hands! No complaining!" Ranma-Kiva shouted back, shovelling rice into his mouth, avoiding a tossed plate so to keep eating a dumpling.

"You don't even like to eat! You said so earlier!" Ranma snapped back.

"My body stabilized and I need lots of energy to keep it that way! Shove over!" Ranma-Kiva retorted.

"So energetic," Kasumi smiled from where she was helping feed Taiga his morning bottle.

"Our Ranma is having fun," Maya giggled from where she was feeding Wataru. "He hasn't been this energetic at the table for a while."

"My Ranma is having fun too," Kasumi observed. Usually Genma turned breakfast into a brawl with his morning training in stealing Ranma's food. Well, he said it was a training but everyone knew that it was just his excuse to try and steal more food for himself with his stomach's endless insistence to be fed by any means necessary. Of course, Genma usually did this with insults to Ranma's manhood which just got the pigtailed martial artist mad, being insecure as he was in his gender thanks to his curse. That just turned the training more physical as Ranma would throw his father outside for sparring practice. The two Ranmas at the large table were keeping it friendly by not throwing a single insult and not going for physical blows beyond using cutlery to block a lunge or two.

It was the most fun either of them had eating breakfast since before they realized Genma wasn't playing a game and was simply being greedy.

"So what do you usually do these days anyway?" asked Ranma.

"Well, I do go to school, but that's kind of dangerous with Akane and the rest of the fiancées trying to browbeat me into telling them where Maya lives or to quit my job as her bodyguard," Ranma-Kiva shrugged. "Akane can't seem to go five minutes within seeing me without calling me a pervert."

"I guess the engagement isn't looking so good," Ranma grimaced.

"After what they tried, I've lost any attraction I had for them," Ranma-Kiva frowned. "Too much like Pop in the idea that what they want is what matters and everything else can just go to hell."

Kasumi found herself agreeing with Ranma-Kiva about how the fiancées behaved. Shampoo would arrogantly smash through walls or use tricks or magic to force Ranma to love her as if his feelings didn't matter. Of course, considering she was raised in an Amazon village where men were second class, it shouldn't have been too surprising. Kodachi honestly believed that rules didn't apply to her since she had a lot of money behind her name and it showed in the numerous ways she would cheat in competitions and use endless supplies of poisons to knock Ranma out. That was criminal action no matter how one looked at it but no one brought her up to task about it so she continued believing that she was above such things. Ukyo would often use her childhood friendship with Ranma as a tool to make him pay attention to her and often dreamed of the life she would live with him. Ranma had confided in Kasumi once that Ukyo dreamed of opening a large restaurant and having Ranma help her all the time, not once picturing martial arts beyond a few competitions to promote said restaurant. Akane…well, she was often treated like she could do no wrong by Soun and as much as Kasumi wanted to believe that Akane was a good person, she also knew that their father had spoiled Akane by always taking her side whenever she and Ranma got in a fight and never once punished her when Akane was obviously in the wrong. Indeed, all four of the fiancées believed what they wanted was what mattered and nothing else really deserved consideration.

The dark thoughts of the eldest Tendo were suddenly cut off when she heard the sounds of a violin.

"What's that?" asked Ranma, having heard the song too.

Ranma-Kiva's head snapped up before he looked to the mantle of the fireplace. On top of it was a violin with was beautiful carved and assembled with a very detailed woman's head on the handle. What was strange about it was that the strings were vibrating on their own and creating the noise that all of the people at the table could hear. It was named the Bloody Rose and it had been crafted by Maya and Otoya, symbolizing their love. It was also a Fangire detection item, able to lead Ranma-Kiva to where a Fangire was causing trouble.

"A Fangire!" Ranma-Kiva cried, standing up. "Sorry but I've got to go!" He then dashed off towards the front of Castle Doran where the exit was.

"Hey! Wait up!" Ranma cried, scarfing down a bun before he gave chase to his counterpart.

"Be careful!" Maya called after the two, her sons waving their arms as if saying goodbye.

* * *

**Outside**

Outside Castle Doran, the dragon spat up both Ranmas from the building which Doran hid itself inside of. As both of them ran, they transformed, completing the change as they mounted their machines and roared off down the street. As both Riders vanished from sight, a new figure emerged from a nearby corner. He was donned in a leather jacket, jeans, and a baseball cap. An easy grin was on his face as he witnessed the Riders leave.

"I guess Decade-kun beat me here," the figure chuckled. Looking up to the building where Doran hid, he pointed at it before making a shooting motion with his finger. "Ah well. That just makes things more interesting."

Hefting a duffel bag in his over his shoulder, he glanced at the direction the Riders went before looking back at Doran, "I do have to wonder what he's up to though. Decade gets involved in such interesting situations."

* * *

**Tokyo**

The Seamoon Fangire was somewhat tall for a Fangire with blue shades of stained glass covering its chest like a crest. Its abdomen was covered with the same coloured glass. Its legs ended in thick black flesh with pointed boots decorated with more blue stained glass. Its shoulders were designed after its chest and small glass tentacles stretched from its forearms. For a head, it had a globe-like head with black framing and filled with purple and blue stained glass. An odd look to be sure, but it didn't make it any less dangerous.

It was also getting its butt handed to it on a silver platter.

"_Yeeargh!_" the Seamoon Fangire cried as it was knocked down a set of stone stairs before dropping onto the cobblestone ground. The Fangire groaned as it tried to get up. It had never expected to be attacked out in the open like this! In the middle of the day and on the sidewalk?

"A public execution. How fitting," the Fangire's attacker snorted.

The Fangire looked up to see its attacker. The figure was donned from head to toe in black. His armor was black save for bits and pieces. The front had a silver plate with a moon-like etching on the front. His shoulder pads had silver siding on them and slight silver accents down his arms. His legs had black metal siding with more silver accents on them. Around his waist was a black and silver machine with a handle at one end which seemed to be detachable while the other side was rounded with a red stone decorating it. His head was covered by a black helmet with a section across the head. There was a silver mouth plate and a silver cross-like cover on the eyes with only a black slit to act as a visor.

Reaching to his waist, the figure drew a Fuestle in preparation in destroying this Fangire. However, he was interrupted by the roar of motorcycles. Looking up, he saw a pair of said machines approaching. Mounted on one was the form of Kiva, a target that the black figure had been hoping to see. On the second was a strange figure in black and red armour. It made the figure wonder where such a design had come from. Had the Wonderful Blue Sky Organization developed a new model or was this someone else? Bah, it didn't matter. If he got in the way then he'd be destroyed too.

The Seamoon Fangire attempted to get up so to run away, but the black figure wasn't about to have any of that. Turning back to the Fangire, he slipped the Fuestle inside of his belt device and pushed the handle section so to activate it.

"**Anti-Crosser Descend!**"

Removing the handle section as the red stone flashed, a short red blade was revealed. However, it quickly began shining a blood red color before extending to the length of a sword. The item flashed with a bloody aura before the black figure lashed out with it. The red blade cut through the Seamoon Fangire, making the kaijin in question scream loudly before its entire body crystallized and shattered, sending chunks of glass in all directions.

Kiva and Decade came to a stop as the last of the pieces landed on the ground. Both Riders dismounted their machines and walked slowly towards the strange new Rider. Decade had recalled seeing a Rider similar to this one back in Faiz World. It was a white-clad Rider with golden cross-like plating around its eyes.

"IXA?" Decade blinked as he eyed the black-clad figure.

"No," was his reply from the IXA-lookalike. "Anti-Cross."

"Just who are you?" asked Kiva.

"Hmph! I don't take orders from you Kiva!" Anti-Cross snarled, growing incredible hostile in a heartbeat, much to the concern of the two Riders. Pointing at the twilight Rider, he continued. "Kiva, your existence has become a mistake that I will rectify!"

"Huh?" the two Riders blinked.

"Prepare to die!" Anti-Cross shouted, charging at the pair of Riders, aiming a vicious right cross at Kiva. The twilight Rider ducked under the attack and dodged several more strikes from the black Rider. Anti-Cross snarled angrily as he continued to strike at Kiva, but the counterpart of Decade was swerving around the hits before striking back with torso and headshots which would make anyone see stars, but Anti-Cross didn't seem dissuaded. Instead, he kept coming for more.

"Just what the heck did I do to you?" Kiva demanded as he caught a punch from his opponent.

"You exist! That's enough for me!" Anti-Cross snarled.

That was enough for Decade. He hadn't immediately leaped in since he didn't know if this Anti-Cross guy was just misinformed or if he despised Fangires and anyone associated with them and desired to kill them all in his fury. Hearing the last comment, Decade quickly decided that Anti-Cross was fighting for the second reason rather than the first. The dark Rider definitely didn't have any mercy since he cut down a Fangire like he was pruning a bush. This guy was going to try and kill Kiva and wouldn't lose a wink of sleep about it.

"I don't think so," Decade frowned as he drew his Ride Booker and changed it into gun form. Gripping the handle, he charged forward to strike at Anti-Cross. He wasn't about some apparent psycho try to kill off his counterpart jut because of who he was.

Running closer to the fight, Decade was suddenly halted when one of the increasingly annoying silver veils dropped down in front of him, blocking him off from the fight. Even Anti-Cross and Kiva were stunned by its sudden appearance if how they froze was any indication.

"What is this?" demanded Anti-Cross, seeing it as Kiva's fault.

"Hell if I know!" Kiva snapped back.

"Not good," Decade frowned. He recognized this from Faiz World when IXA showed up. He also had a pretty good idea who was behind the sudden appearance. He just had to wonder what kind of Rider or kaijin Narutaki was going to try and take him out with this time. The veil quickly began to act, but it didn't deposit another Rider or kaijin to try and take him out. Instead, it surged at him like a shark after blood, filling Decade's view with swirls of silver. His stomach did flips as he felt like he was flying yet still stood on solid ground. The strange sensations were slow to fade, but they did along with the sight of the veil.

Decade blinked as he got his surroundings again. However, he wasn't in the same place that he was before. Rather than in the general Tokyo area, he was inside some kind of large stadium. The turf was artificial and didn't seem like it was used for any single sport. The stands were numerous and very much empty. Something didn't smell right to Decade. If this was a random teleportation, then he should have ended up in the middle of somewhere with people around. However, by landing in a place where no one was around, it all but confirmed that someone had wanted him where he was.

"Decade!" a voice shouted.

Decade looked towards the voice and found a man in his middle ages who wore a trench coat and hat with glasses, making him look somewhat like a detective. The man had a gleeful look on his face at seeing Decade all by himself.

"Narutaki I presume?" Decade frowned, somewhat glad to have a name to the face.

"I am," Narutaki nodded. "I have foreseen the destruction of all worlds and you are the source! Because of this, I have dedicated myself to ending the threat that is your existence!"

"But I don't want to destroy the worlds!" Decade shouted back. "I want to save them!"

"You exist only to destroy, Decade!" Narutaki retorted. "But so do the Riders that I have selected to destroy you!"

"Huh?" the dimensional Rider blinked.

A loud sound similar to footsteps alerted Decade to life nearby. Looking to one of the exits which led to the change rooms and underground tunnels which custodial folks and teams would use to traverse underneath fans, Decade saw whom his opponents were to be.

There were two of them. The first was donned in a white bodysuit which had blue lines running across it almost like a vein system. A purple orb was in the centre of his chest with what looked kind of like a psi symbol which was slanted. His helmet was white with a similar purple orb and a blue psi symbol on the front, the tips acting as horns or antennae. Around his waist was a mechanism which reminded Decade of Faiz's save for the blue-tinted phone across the buckle/phone. On his back was a black mechanical contraption which seemed to be some kind of jetpack with handles extending past his waist and sticking out in front.

"It's show time!" Kamen Rider Psyga chuckled, speaking in English.

The second was donned in a black bodysuit which had gold lines running across its surface. Long straps of fabric with gold lining hung from his hips like part of a trench coat. On his hip was a long black sword with a pronged tip. His belt was leather with a metal centre which was black and gold with an omega symbol on the front. His chest armour had a red orb in the center which was the source of his photon blood. His helmet had a solid red visor with a connecting line to a red stone on the forehead. The helmet also sported a headdress which was styled after the omega symbol.

"Time to die Decade," Kamen Rider Orga threatened coolly.

"Kamen Rider Orga and Psyga! Users of the Emperor Belts! They will be your executioners!" Narutaki declared with a laugh.

The two Riders took that as a signal for them to begin. Psyga immediately took off and into the air before he started firing at Decade. Orga drew his sword, the Orga Stylanzer, and charged at Decade instead. Decade dodged the shots and saw Orga coming for him so he converted his Ride Booker into Sword Mode and parried the slash. He then cried out as the shots hit him, causing sparks to fly.

Meanwhile, a cap-wearing young man watched from within another exit with narrowed eyes. "He seems like he's in a pinch. Now, should I help him or shouldn't I, I wonder?"

He just continued to sit and watch as Psyga and Orga continued to work together against Decade.

**To Be Continued…**

Next time on Journey Through the Decade!

Decade: You guys don't know when to quit!

Pysga: Hey, it's just business.

Orga: Speak Japanese you idiot.

Kiva: What happened to Decade? Wait, who are you?

Diend: Just a Kamen Rider who's passing through.

A/N: Well, the first half of Kiva World is now ready. Feels a little shorter than usual, but maybe it's just me. You guys still like it anyway, right? Also, Anti-Cross was created by Kamen Rider Chrome and I am using this Rider with his persmission.


	9. Kiva's Dawn

I do not own Kamen Rider or Ranma ½. I am only writing for fun and no other reason. I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labour. Remember, no flames. Constructive criticism is okay though.

Journey Through the Decade

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 9: Kiva's Dawn

Decade knew he was in a pinch and that was putting it lightly. He had gone with his Kiva counterpart to inspect a Fangire attack only to find a black-clad Kamen Rider calling himself Anti-Cross killing the Fangire before they could. The dark Rider had barely looked at them before going after Kiva with nothing less than lethal intent. Before Decade could try to help, he was snapped up by one of the silver veils and brought to a sports stadium where he met Narutaki. The so-called prophet had apparently brought the dimensional Rider to said stadium where he was attacked by a pair of Kamen Riders calling themselves Psyga and Orga.

"Nngh!" Decade grunted, blocking an overhead slash from Orga's sword. The gold and black Rider had put enough force in the strike to almost make Decade's knees buckle. Obviously the name 'Emperor Belt' was well-earned for this Kamen Rider. "That all you've got?!"

"Hardly," Orga muttered, moving with unexpected speed before punching Decade in the chest with enough force to send him crashing several feet back from his starting point. Decade coughed as he temporarily lost his breath from the strike, having actually felt a shockwave run through his body from the impact.

"Okay (wheeze) he's stronger than I thought," Decade grunted. He quickly put Orga's threat level closer to the likes of Herb after being dealt a punch like that. The sounds of an engine caused Decade to look up to see a flying figure approaching. To his surprise, it was the white-clad rider Psyga whose pack was actually a jetpack which was keeping him aloft and high above Decade. "Oh come on!"

Psyga chuckled before he opened fire, sending bolts of blue energy down at Decade like rain. The dimensional Rider leaped and swerved around the bolts, aiming to not get hit by any of them lest he become a target for more and allow Orga to get in close. He had to admit that the pair made a decent team. Psyga was obviously a long range fighter since his pack was made for flight and shooting attacks. Orga was the close range fighter with his strength and choice of weaponry. Add to the fact that both were pretty powerful in their own rights and Decade knew that he was in a reasonable amount of trouble.

Dodging another bolt, Decade drew a card from the Ride Booker, tossing it into his Decadriver before shifting his weapon into gun mode. Slapping his belt shut, he took aim at the airborne Kamen Rider.

"**Attack Ride: Blast!**"

Pointing his weapon at Psyga, Decade unleashed a barrage of red energy bolts which cut through the air to strike at Psyga. However, the white Rider was nothing if not experienced with his equipment and quickly began making tracks from the target area, allowing the bolts to collide with the stadium ceiling. Decade frowned and continued shooting, wanting to bring down the flying Rider before he became a nuisance later. However, a looming shadow quickly halted that plan. Turning, he barely managed to avoid getting his head lobbed off by the Stylanzer of Orga's before backing away to get some distance from the black Rider.

"This is going to be tough," Decade frowned.

Narutaki watched from the stands as Decade was being attacked by both Psyga and Orga. He grinned with self-satisfaction. Today, the Destroyer of Worlds would meet his end. Meanwhile, from one of the entrance tunnels, the cap-wearing thief watched while twirling his gun around his index finger. He was deliberating whether or not he should intervene and what kind of profit he could gain by doing such.

**Kiva World- Tokyo**

Meanwhile, back in his own world, sparks flew as Kiva and Anti-Cross fought. Using his bracelets, Kiva blocked all of Anti-Cross' strikes but even his accessories could only take so much. Finding an opening, Kiva struck with a hard punch directly into Anti-Cross' chest, sending his opponent staggering backwards from the hit. Kiva flicked his wrist. The armor was definitely made to take hard hits since it didn't even dent from the blow.

"Kiva, is that really all the power you have?" Anti-Cross snorted. "How pathetic."

Kiva's pride stung from those words, but he managed to keep cool. He knew from experience what happened when one lost control over their temper. They got sloppy and became vulnerable when the opponent was using strategy that relied on their targets losing control over their emotions, particularly anger. "Time to call some reinforcements," said Kiva as he drew the Garuru Fuestle before sliding it into Kivat's mouth.

"**Garuru Saber!**"

* * *

**???? World – Stadium**

Back with Decade, the world-traveling Rider was sent tumbling by a hard blow from Orga. Getting up to his knees, Decade decided to even the odds a little. Drawing another card from the Ride Booker, he tossed it into the Decadriver.

"**Attack Ride: Illusion!**"

Two clones split out from Decade before charging towards Psyga and Orga, both with their weapons ready to use. One with the Ride Booker in its sword form began striking at Orga while the one with the Ride Booker in its gun form began shooting at Psyga who was still in the air. The real Decade was thankful for a momentary breather. Psyga and Orga were no pushovers and seeing how they fought would be a big help in taking them down.

Sadly, the fights with the clones didn't last long enough to show that. Orga deflected a blade from his opponent before slashing him across the chest with his Stylanzer, forcing the clone to be dismissed in a haze of red pixels. Psyga expertly dodged the shots aimed at him before returning fire, getting his own Decade clone in a rain of blaster fire which destroyed him. Groaning, Decade tightened his grip on his weapon before charging at Orga again. If anything, Psyga wasn't the type to shoot when his partner was in the line of fire…hopefully.

Stylanzer clashed against Ride Booker, bringing sparks. Decade stuck with swordplay to try and keep Orga outside of arm's reach since he had massive strength in his limbs. Of course, it didn't make going against him in a sword battle any easier. Letting the blades clash again, Decade twisted the weapons to the side, leaving a clear path to Orga's face which he took advantage of with a straight punch. The blow made Orga stumble slightly, but for some reason he was stumbling back further than he should have considering how tough he was….

"Oh crap," Decade gasped, looking up.

"_See ya!_"

TSEW! TSEW! TSEW!

BOOOM!!

Decade flinched, having been expecting to be the one who was shot by Psyga's jetpack. However, no blue bolts came at Decade and instead the pack on Psyga's back seemed to explode. The white Kamen Rider cried out as he dropped like a rock, hitting the ground with a loud thud and a pained groan. Decade and Orga both looked at what had happened with more than a little confusion. Had Psyga's jetpack malfunctioned when he tried to make another barrage of energy bolts? Even Narutaki was confused as to what had happened, not having expected anything to interrupt his planned destruction of Decade.

"Yo!"

Decade, Orga, and the recovering Pysga turned to the entry tunnel of the stadium to see a new figure. He was clad in a leather jacket with a black shirt and jeans with a baseball cap on his head. In his hands he was twirling a strange gun which had some smoke coming from the barrel, indicating that he was the reason Psyga had gone down via several bullets into his jetpack. However, to Decade's surprise (why, he wasn't sure) the face of this newcomer was a dead ringer for his!

"Two on one's a little unfair, don't you think?" the newcomer asked with a grin as he causally walked closer to the three Riders.

"And just who are you?" asked Orga with a frown.

"Just a Kamen Rider looking for some treasure," the newcomer smiled, reaching into his pocket he produced a card not unlike Decade's with the image of a blue Kamen Rider with a box-like helmet on the front. "And for you two guys, this is…the end!"

Slipping the card into the gun, he extended the barrel, revealing the inside of the weapon.

"**Kamen Ride:**"

Raising the gun into the air, he pulled the trigger with a cry of, "Henshin!**"**

"**Diend!**"

Identical red, green and blue images of his suit zipped around him before converging onto his body. His symbol, which he'd shot in the air, hovered above him before turning into panels that dropped down and lodged themselves into his helmet, filling the monotone suit in the color blue in certain segments.

"Diend!" Narutaki recognised as he saw the new Rider.

"Decade-kun, would you like some help?" Diend asked.

Decade stared at Diend suspiciously. This guy was another version of him so he couldn't be all bad, right? However, there was just something off about the gun-wielding Rider. Something he didn't like. However, he didn't have the luxury to concern himself with that. He needed to defeat Orga and Psyga so he could help Kiva and if this Diend guy could help him then he would accept his assistance, for now.

"Can't really afford to say no at this point," Decade sighed.

"Glad we agree!" Diend laughed before he drew a card from his belt and slotted it inside his gun before extended the barrel.

"**Attack Ride: Blast!**"

Diend shot numerous blue bolts of energy which collided against Psyga and Orga, making them cry out in pain. Orga quickly began moving to avoid them. Psyga on the other hand gripped the handles of his jetpack and removed them, revealing them to actually be tonfa with blue bars on them. Growling, Psyga dashed towards Diend who continued shooting. Psyga did prove to be quick on the ground as he was in the air, dodging the laser bolts before reaching Diend and swinging at him. The blue Rider seemed to have a natural grace as he dipped and ducked around the attacks, taking a moment here or there to shoot Psyga in the side, making the white Rider stumble.

Decade wasn't idle as Orga went after him. However, with Psyga no longer providing a distraction, he was able to concentrate fully on his opponent rather than have his attention split between the two. Using the Ride Booker in sword form again, Decade began deflecting and redirecting Orga's attacks rather than simply blocking them and feeling the force the black and gold Rider was putting behind them. Twisting around one particularly nasty blow, he slashed across Orga's side, making the dark Rider groan in pain and stumble.

"Now things are a little fairer!" Diend nodded, kicking Psyga in the side and making him stumble to the floor. At the same time, Decade used a powerful right hook to do the same to Orga, hitting the Kamen Rider in the face. Both Emperor Belt users managed to regain their balance, some distance away from the two dimensional Riders. Snicker, Diend walked up beside Decade, "Now, let me show you some cool skills I picked up a while ago."

"Skills?" asked Decade, thinking of martial arts techniques.

"Just watch," Diend replied, slotting a card into his gun and extending the barrel.

"**Kamen Ride: Faiz!**"

An orb of light flew from the barrel of the gun before exploding into three humanoid images that were green, blue, and red. Decade watched as the images flew over the same spot before converging together and forming a solid body. To his extreme shock, it was the familiar image of Kamen Rider Faiz. The Smart Brain Rider flicked his wrist and stood at a ready stance before Orga and Psyga, ready for any kind of fight. It seemed oddly appropriate since Orga and Psyga did come from Faiz World after all.

"How…how did you-?" Decade gaped.

"Tut, tut. It's my little secret," Diend admonished in good humour before he slotted another card into his weapon, this one yellow. He then looked to Faiz as he extended the barrel. "This will only hurt for a second."

"**Final Form Ride: Fa-Fa-Fa-Faiz!**"

Diend aimed his gun at Faiz' back before squeezing the trigger. A blast of energy collided with Faiz' back, making the Rider grunt before suddenly leaping into the air. As he moved, his body began shifting and changed, being covered in white metallic plating with his arms folding onto his back. Before Decade's eyes, Faiz had been transformed into the Faiz Blaster. The machine came back to earth and began hovering in front of Diend, just waiting for him to use it.

"One last thing," Diend continued, sliding another gold card into his weapon and extending the barrel.

"**Final Attack Ride: F-F-F-Faiz!**"

With the final card activated, Diend retracted the barrel of his weapon and attached it to his waist. With both hands free, he grabbed the Faiz Blaster and brought it to aim. Unfortunately, Orga and Psyga weren't standing still for the shot. Both charged at the pair of Riders with their weapons raised. Logic dictated that such a large weapon couldn't shoot rapidly and thus both Riders were prepared to move at a moment's notice to dodge the first shot and then take down both enemies at once.

"Fire One!" Diend shouted, pulling the secondary trigger, causing the twin scopes on top of the Faiz Blaster to shoot a red beam, colliding with the pair of evil Riders before opening into a cone, paralyzing both of them. With his targets now standing still, Diend pulled the trigger on the Faiz Blaster, sending a stream of pure photon energy out of the barrel of the gun. The beam cut through the air and collided with the cone, forcing it into both Orga and Psyga. The pair of Riders screamed out before both Diend and Decade were both blinded and deafened by an explosion which lit up the whole stadium. As the light died down, a red Phi symbol was seen hanging in the air before it too faded.

"Woah," Decade blinked, the glare fading from his eyes and seeing the blackened crater where Orga and Psyga once stood. Looking to Diend, he spotted the blue Rider holding his main weapon as the Faiz Blaster faded out of existence. "Hey, don't you think that was going a little overboard?"

"Eh, Emperor Belt Riders are pretty tough," Diend shrugged. "It takes just that much to take them down. You're lucky I decided to help or else you would have been a smear in the dirt when they got through with you."

There was an image Decade didn't need. Shrugging off the random thoughts, he looked up to where Narutaki had been overseeing his two on one fight with Orga and Psyga. However, the man was nowhere to be seen. Most likely he had gotten out of dodge when Psyga and Orga were being taken down. It was a minor annoyance to the red Rider. He had wanted to ask a few questions as to what Narutaki's problem was. Preferably with some bumps and bruises involved as well for some of the grief he had caused in the past. Shaking his head, he looked back to Diend.

"So do you know a way to get me back to where I was?" he asked.

"Sure do," Diend nodded. "This place is a gap between worlds. A pocket dimension. A random space. It's temporary at best and only spans as far as the battlefield. It was used by…certain folks in the past to fight their enemies and keep wars off their home worlds. Once the fight's over, the winners get sent back to wherever it was they came before. With Psyga and Orga gone, we get to go back to Kiva World. Neat, huh?"

"Uhh…sounds good," Decade nodded, although it wasn't exactly the clearest explanation he had ever heard. "So how do you know that? Now that I think of it, just what do I call you anyway? Ranma-Diend?"

"I know because my Diendriver downloaded data when I first transformed," Diend explained. "As for my name, it isn't Ranma. I haven't been Ranma Saotome for years now. I've got no attachment to the name. Just call me Kaitoh."

As Decade and Diend were speaking, the world around them began to vanish into the silver mist again. Both Riders looked around, seeing that they were now officially between worlds. Unfazed, Diend continued speaking, "Well, looks like this is where we part ways. Be seeing you again Decade-kun." Waving, Diend walked into the silver mist alone, vanishing from sight.

"Wait!" Decade cried, only to be met with silence. The silver mist swirled for a moment before the cityscape of Tokyo was seen once again. Looking around, Decade could only hope that he really was back in Kiva World. He didn't want to try using the Nanban Mirror to get back there since the item was temperamental even before Nabiki stepped on it and broke it. Now that its surface was in pieces and nowhere near complete, using it might invite disaster.

Sounds of fighting quickly caught his attention. Dropping thoughts of where he was, Decade dashed for the source of the noises. If he was lucky, Kiva and Anti-Cross might still be fighting.

* * *

Indeed, Kiva and Anti-Cross were the ones who were fighting. Kiva was in Garuru Form and slashing at the black armoured Rider who was attempting to defend himself with his Anti-Crosser. However, the Garuru Saber was much longer and thus able to get some hits in compared to the dagger-like length of the Anti-Crosser. For the moment, Kiva had the advantage but he didn't want to get arrogant and end up letting Anti-Cross pulls some trick which might end up killing him. Thankfully, Garuru's predator instinct was helping him keep the goal in mind. His aim was to beat his opponent, not prove who was more skilled or prove someone right or wrong like in his battles with the Wrecking Crew. Anti-Cross had to go down and fast before something bad happened and the fight stopped looking in his favour.

On the opposite end, Anti-Cross was feeling the pain from the sword his foe was using. Granted, he was expecting some differences between the old Kiva and this upstart. However, the sheer difference was changing the face of this fight. This Kiva was not relying on any of the inherent Fangire abilities those who don the armor were gifted with. Instead, he was using martial arts and now this magic sword which not only changed his style, but also his mentality. He was fighting almost like a savage wolf or something. The ferocity was there, but it was calculating and far from an idiot. Anti-Cross had gone in half-expecting to be fighting a weaker version of the former king. This…this was much different.

Kiva snarled as he flipped over a wide slash from Anti-Cross before using a savage downward slice which knocked back Anti-Cross a few steps. Pushing down the instinct of proving he was the better fighter, Kiva charged for what he hoped to be the final blow.

Then it happened.

**Thump-Thump**

"Urk!" Kiva gasped, gripped his chest. His heart had quite suddenly pounding rapidly, enough that it felt like it was going to jump out of his chest cavity. Dropping the Garuru Saber, Kiva gripped his chest as he stumbled backwards. "N-no! N-n-not now!"

"Hmm?" Anti-Cross pondered. "Now what is this I wonder?" Standing up, Anti-Cross advanced on the struggling Kiva who looked like he was in the middle of having a heart attack. Kiva tried to get some space, but the miserable crawl he was in easily lost to Anti-Cross' cool advancement. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were suffering from poisoning of some kind. The Kiva armor is well-known for doing that to those who aren't pure."

Kiva growled, but it was weak since he was in pain and still clutching his chest. Anti-Cross just snickered. "So the mighty Kiva isn't even a real Fangire after all. Just a human who decided that he was better than the rest of the cattle," Gripping his Anti-Crosser, he aimed to bury it in Kiva's throat. "Well, for the sake of the proper order, you have to die. However, I'll be taking a large amount of satisfaction with this kill."

Kiva grunted, trying to defend himself even in his pitiful state.

"Die you freak!" Anti-Cross snarled, lunging.

"**Final Attack Ride: D-D-D-Decade!**"

Anti-Cross looked up to see a large red bolt of pixelating energy coming at him. Cursing, he dodged to the side, getting clipped by the burst with enough force to send him flying a fair distance. Slamming into the ground, his armor sparking from the blast, he looked up to see the approaching figure of Kiva's ally. Apparently whatever that veil that took him was, it wasn't permanent. Kiva was down, but with this new opponent coming and having no idea what his capabilities were, Anti-Cross decided to fight again another day before making a run for it. Decade didn't even watch the dark Rider vanish in the distance before kneeling at his counterpart's side.

"You okay?" asked Decade, sitting his counterpart up.

"No," Kiva groaned. Seeing the fight was over, Kivat flew from his perch allowing Ranma-Kiva to return to normal. He was deathly pale and trembling slightly. "What…what happened to you?"

"Narutaki tried to finish the job he had you start," Decade answered. "Now was that guy really that tough?"

"It wasn't that armoured man," Kivat denied. "It was the Kiva armor itself which did this."

"Huh?" Decade blinked, looking up to the flying creature. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"The Kiva armor wasn't made for human use," Kivat explained. "Humans who use it generally get one use out of it before the energy in it destroys their bodies and kills them. Ranma-kun here is able to dodge that because of the Fangire energy already in his body. However, the armor drains the Fangire energy and if Ranma wears it too long, the armor begins to damage his body, risking his life. Unfortunately, he reached his limit while we were fighting that fellow."

"I bet fighting me this morning didn't help matters either," Decade grunted. "Is there anything we can do?"

"A doctor would be nice," Ranma-Kiva grunted.

"Yes, healing whatever damage there is takes priority," Kivat nodded. "We can replenish Ranma-kun's Fangire energy back at Castle Doran. I know a doctor who has been tending to Ranma-kun for a while now. She'll help us with no questions asked. She'll only ask for something in return."

"Like what?" asked Decade.

Kivat sighed and swooped over to the glass shards which had once been the Fangire which Anti-Cross had killed upon their arrival, "Grab a bag and pick up these shards. She'll want them in payment for treating Ranma-kun. She loves studying Fangire biology and putting the corpses back together is something of a hobby for her. Make sure you get every piece or else she may decide not to treat us next time."

"Right," Decade nodded, propping Ranma-Kiva against a street light. "Just hang tough. We'll get you to this doctor."

"Just make it quick," Ranma-Kiva groaned. "This isn't getting any better."

"We better take the bike."

* * *

**Castle Doran**

Kasumi and Maya were both enjoying some tea as they watched over Wataru and Taiga, having not much else to do at the moment. Kasumi loved helping with the pair as she kept one brother amused as Maya tended to the other. She found that Wataru was quite a shy child and didn't make much noise. He muffled and made noises when she had first met him, but a short time later, he smiled at her like he did with his mother. Taiga on the other hand was the average baby as far as she could tell. He cried and did everything a regular baby did, if not a little stronger than average.

"You'd make a fine mother," Maya smiled from her cup. "Just the like version of you I met at the Tendo Dojo."

"Oh! What was she like?" Kasumi asked curiously. While Ranma got to meet his counterparts, she hadn't been able to do the same. Part of the reason was that the Ranmas of the other worlds had been distancing themselves from the dojo. The other part was the chaos no doubt having two Ranmas in Nerima would bring.

"She was very polite and accommodating," Maya answered. "She was also very happy to talk to me about anything and everything we could think of. She was quite a difference from her sisters. One who extorts money from anyone and everyone so to ensure her own comfort and the other an insecure and spoiled little girl who believed that violence is the solution to all of her problems."

"The more things change, the more they stay the same," Kasumi nodded, quite used to hearing the summation of both her sisters. While people tended to see the Tendo daughters in a positive light to an extent, they were well aware of the flaws Nabiki and Akane sported and weren't shy in talking about them. Well, the ones with children who weren't in debt with Nabiki anyway.

"So it is the same for you," Maya nodded. "I must ask though, seeing how those girls act, why is it that your father and Ranma's are so determined to see this farce of an engagement through? Our Ranma just says they're fools who don't know when to quit, but he isn't the most observational person around outside of a fight."

Kasumi couldn't deny that. Sighing, she answered, "Well, Father hasn't had much of anything to drive him since mother died and now I believe he is simply obsessed to the point of denial about the engagement," Kasumi sighed. "He…he doesn't take bad news well and more often than not throws a fit and later pretends it never happened. When Ukyo first arrived and he found out about the engagement Mr. Saotome made to her, he somehow began blaming Ranma and attacked him. Mr. Saotome was the one who made the engagement to her and that would have broken the Tendo pact, but Father simply denied him doing anything wrong and focused on Ranma 'stringing' Ukyo along."

"Yes, That's the impression I got from him too as he tried to use that demon head move of his to make me 'return' Ranma," Maya nodded as she sipped her tea. "He seemed quite panicked when he thought I was trying to woo Ranma away from the dojo. When he found out about the job I gave him, he went on about how Ranma was destined to lead the dojo to the next generation and how he couldn't do that if he was risking his life protecting me."

"Father is deeply concerned about the legacy of the dojo," Kasumi nodded with a sigh, "To the exclusion of almost anything else, even his daughters' happiness. Did you know he didn't tell us about the engagement until the last possible moment? Nabiki suspected that he did it so none of us would try to get out of it before it was all said and done. After seeing how quickly he and Mr. Saotome leap for weddings, they were probably aiming to have the ceremony right away."

"Ranma mentioned it to me," Maya nodded. "Now what about Ranma's father? What is his stake in all of this?"

"Early retirement as he lazes about all day while Ranma runs the dojo," Kasumi answered bluntly. "Mr. Saotome often uses Ranma to get something easily or for free. I've seen many examples of him pushing off his problems onto Ranma's shoulders. For example, Mr. Saotome engaged Ranma to Ukyo, but somehow it's Ranma's fault. I don't like speaking ill of anyone, but he seems to be the perfect example of a freeloader. The only things Mr. Saotome actually works hard at is avoiding pain, avoiding work, and getting Ranma married to Akane."

"Again, the same with the Genma of this world," Maya nodded. "Now you understand why I invited Ranma to live here in Doran," Seeing Kasumi blink, Maya continued. "Oh, right. Ranma never said that part. It was after that debacle when those girls almost harmed Wataru and Taiga. Genma and Soun were hounding Ranma whenever they could to apologize to Akane for seeing me behind her back by marrying her right away. It seems no matter how many times I said I had no romantic interest in Ranma, no one was willing to believe it."

"That's because almost any woman who has passed through Nerima has had romantic intentions for Ranma or developed some," Kasumi answered. "They probably feared the same happening with you. Since you are a grown woman and as you said wealthy and many things that the fiancées are lacking in the feminine sense, they feared you become the greatest threat in their competition for Ranma's heart."

"They lost that race shortly after it begun and long before I came into the picture," Maya laughed lightly. "Now where was I…oh yes! When Ranma came to Doran for some measure of peace, he told me what was going on since my visit. Knowing how seriously he takes honour, I merely said that the girls had obviously dishonoured themselves as martial artists by showing such little control over themselves and almost harming two completely innocent children. As such, until restitution was made, he should have no real obligation to do anything with any of them."

"I take it Kiva-san liked that idea?" asked Kasumi.

"It took him a while to wrap his mind about it since his father instilled such a rigid and flawed code of honour which he since modified to suit his personal moral code," Maya shrugged. "I offered to let him stay here since those girls wouldn't let him go anywhere without them. His mother seemed agreeable to the idea. I believe she said that if those girls could not appreciate a manly man like her son, they did not deserve him. I think her idea was to deprive them of her son so they could see how much they truly cared."

"And how has that progressed?" asked the eldest Tendo daughter.

"…nigh apocalyptic are the words which come to mind," Maya sighed. "Jiro, Riki, and Ramon went to see what the situation was like one day and it could be better. Our Ranma understated things somewhat when he explained his situation to you. Your sister's analogue here is in a constant state of anger, apparently under the impression that Ranma is doing perverted things to me and thus deserves to be punished. The other three are practically frothing at the mouth and often demand the right to know where they can find him since they are engaged to him. However, he took my comment about dishonouring themselves as martial artists seriously and doesn't tell them anything."

"So business as usual then," Kasumi nodded. "Whenever my Ranma went on a training trip, most of the fiancées and rivals who knew he was missing began scrambling to find out where he is so they can find him and in their minds share a romantic trip alone together, try to beat him up, or share a romantic trip with the girl they lust after. Of course, it usually broke down into a brawl when they meet up together and Ranma has to come back early since all of his camping gear was destroyed."

"The usual day for those in Nerima," Maya nodded, taking another sip of tea. "You know, when I talked to your analogue, she didn't sound nearly as serious or as well-spoken as you. In fact, she seemed if anything like an unmarried housewife more than anything else."

"Well, back home I generally have to be upbeat and happy since either Akane is throwing a tantrum, Father is sobbing, Nabiki is generally making everyone miserable, or Ranma is depressed because of something happening and him being in the thick of it," Kasumi sighed. "In fact, the only times they are happy these days is if they're making money, marriage is mentioned, winning a fight, or generally something normal. You can guess what makes which person happy. I usually have to be the happy and upbeat person so everyone can feel a little better. Generally it's easy since I like to see the bright side of things, but lately between seeing how members of my own family act after the failed wedding and then this trip through other worlds, I must say that I really haven't been myself at times."

"Perfectly understandable," Maya smiled. "Of course, having someone mature and physically appearing to be closer to your age than younger than you hopefully has something to do with it."

"It's been a weight off my shoulders," Kasumi smiled. "Dealing with younger people can be difficult. They're just so…young at times."

"I know exactly what you mean," Maya nodded. "I have years of experience with dealing with such people."

Kasumi giggled.

* * *

**Outer Tokyo**

"Is this the place?" asked Ranma as he helped his Kiva counterpart off the Machine Decader. In Ranma Kiva's hand was a plastic bag filled to the brim with the shattered pieces of the Seamoon Fangire. Ranma had to steal it from a nearby store and even double bag the pieces since they cut like real glass. Above the pair, Kivat flew, keeping an eye on things from the sky.

"It is," Kivat confirmed. "Now hurry up!"

"Right, right," Ranma nodded as he helped his Kiva counterpart walk.

Where they were was a rather large mansion which had a spacious forest around it. The building itself looked western in design and was generally huge. It looked sort of like the place one would expect rich people to live. If a doctor did live in such a huge house, then they must be downright incredible to be able to afford it. Both Ranmas and Kivat managed to get to the front door of the huge building before the dimensional Rider slammed his fist on the door a few times, hopefully catching the attention of whoever lived inside.

"Are you sure this doctor will help us?" asked Ranma.

"Hasn't turned me down yet so long as I can pay," Ranma-Kiva grunted. "She takes cash usually, but if you can give her something interesting to medical science, she'll do it for free. So long as I keep giving her new Fangire remains, she'll keep giving me freebies just as long as I don't give her the same remains twice."

"Sounds cheerful," Ranma grimaced.

Steps could be heard coming to the door, indicating that someone was home. The door quickly unlocked before opening, revealing a girl probably in her late high school to early university years. She seemed a little pale and had long blonde hair which reached down her back and had pale golden eyes. She wore a white blouse and a ribbon tied around her collar. She also wore a black skirt which reached to her knees and black socks. However, she also had stitches running around her neck, along the sides of her mouth, up to her hairline from her left eye, and even her fingers had such marks. The most distinguishing feature had to have been the large metal bolts sticking out of her head above her ears and just behind her temples.

"Hello Fran," Ranma-Kiva grimaced.

The blonde stitched girl blinked at the pair with some confusion and curiosity in her eyes, "Ranma, did you get into my latest cloning theories?"

"No," Ranma-Kiva groaned. "I'll explain later. I need some help."

"Overexposure again," the girl, Fran smiled. "Well, I'll prep the treatment room and recovery ward. You and your clone please come in."

"Thanks," Ranma nodded, helping his counterpart into the rather Spartan mansion. Very little decoration was anywhere beyond a rug or two with some tables here or there. Apparently Fran wasn't one for cosmetic looks. "We brought some Fangire remains too. Brand new."

"Really?!" Fran gasped, suddenly going from slightly spacey to rather energetic and excited. Grasping the bag, she opened it to see the numerous Fangire shards within, making her eyes glitter. "Oh good! I've been wanting to further my Fangire research! I just finished putting together that Horse Fangire you gave me last time. Their organs are so interesting too! Their function is quite unlike many things I've seen. Oh, I can't wait to put this one together again!"

"That's nice," Ranma-Kiva grunted. "Can I get that treatment now?"

"Oh! Of course, please excuse my enthusiasm," Fran smiled. Snapping her fingers, several strange brutes began coming out of the connecting hallways. They all looked muscled with a strange amount of limbs, teeth, fur, bones, spikes or any kind or natural formation. Some even had two heads. Several of the strange beings gently lifted Ranma-Kiva up and placed him on a stretcher they had brought with them before wheeling him off to another part of the mansion.

"If you could just wait a bit Clone-san, I'll be back with a prognosis." Fran smiled. "You can wait in the living room. Howl will make you some tea. Just watch out for Adorea. She's been a little lonely lately and has been hoping Ranma-san will visit."

"Um…okay," Ranma blinked. With another smile, Fran followed after the menagerie of nightmarish beings which seemed to be her assistants. Watching them go, he looked to Kivat, "Just what the heck did I see?"

"That my friend was Fran Madaraki," Kivat explained as he began leading Ranma to the living room. "I suppose you could say she's the first daughter of Doctor Naomitsu Madaraki, a man so skilled in the field of biological medicine and surgery, he could in fact revive the dead. However, she is actually more like his masterpiece," the pair entered a rather cozy living room where they took a seat on a couch and began to wait. "A completely functional human being born from the corpses of others."

"So she's like a Frankenstein?" asked Ranma.

"Mademoiselle doesn't like such a term so please don't say it," a new voice spoke up.

Ranma turned to the source and his eyes widened in pure shock. Entering the room was a butler and for all intents and purposes, he looked like one save for one major distinctive fact. His head was that of a bloodhound. In his hands was a silver tray with a tea set on top of it. Walking into the room, he set the tray down and calmly poured a cup for Ranma. It took a moment for the pigtailed martial artist to stop staring. However, the dog man seemed used to it and ignored it.

"To answer your question, the means of Mademoiselle's birth were quite similar to Victor Von Frankenstein's creation," the dog man continued. "However, the word Frankenstein is somewhat demeaning and not very accurate either. Please refrain from using that term in describing Mademoiselle and the others."

"Um…no problem," Ranma nodded. Looking down, he grasped the cup of tea and quickly took a gulp. This stuff was weird even for him. "So…uh…is the other me going to be okay with those other guys helping…uh…Fran?"

"Your companion is in the best of care," the dog man reassured him. "You have nothing to fear from them. In fact, you wouldn't normally have seen them were if not for the fact they were used to your face. They are rather terrified of humans you see. It's why they congregate in such numbers when they work up the courage to meet the odd guests we have."

"Them? Scared of humans?" Ranma blinked.

"Our Ranma couldn't believe it either," Kivat chuckled before he flew up to the dog man's face. "It's been a while since we last visited. How have you been Howl?"

"Very well, Master Kivat," the dog man now identified as Howl nodded. "Mademoiselle had actually just finished helping the police with a rather odd case. It was a rather strange case where body parts were being left in various places for just anyone to find."

"B-body parts?" asked Ranma with a gulp.

"Yes. All from the same person which didn't make much sense since there were in fact many arms and legs among other parts which humans only have a limited amount of," Howl nodded, apparently taking pleasure in describing the exploits of his lady. Kivat certainly seemed interested in the tale.

"Don't keep us in suspense! What was going on?" the small bat demanded.

"It turns out the one responsible was a young woman with a rather extreme case of Jinmen-Sou*." Howl nodded. "The body parts came from her attempts to remove the tumours. Thankfully, Mademoiselle managed to operate and remove the tumours completely, and somehow the woman's body healed and regenerated all on its own. Mademoiselle was rather disappointed since she had been hoping to do research on the regenerative process of the tumours but instead missed out."

"Ah, there are some mysteries we're probably not ready to solve," Kivat chuckled.

"Perhaps," Howl nodded. Looking back to Ranma, he put his fingers to his doggie chin. "I must say, did Lord Ranma submit to one of Mademoiselle's cloning experiments? She's been researching the theory behind it when she wasn't looking at the Fangire corpses or working."

"It's a long story," Ranma chuckled weakly.

"I see," Howl nodded. "I shall just have to hear it sometime. For now, I must see if Mademoiselle is in need of anything. Please excuse me."

With a bow, the dog-headed man left the room, leaving a very creeped out Ranma and a contented Kivat behind. "Man, this woman is…" began Ranma.

"I know. Fortunately, she's a good person. She's just what humans would call a mad genius," agreed Kivat.

"So, she can put body parts together and create life?" Ranma asked. "Isn't that like against several laws or something?"

"Yes, but you must understand that the world she lives in is not the same as the world you come from," Kivat retorted. "To Fran, life is life and the preservation of it is the highest calling. Her methods…well, those could use a little bit of work but she isn't what I would call firmly grounded in ethics. However, she is someone who believes in doing the right thing, just not getting approval for it."

"Makes sense…I guess," Ranma sighed, taking another sip of tea. "So…how did you guys meet her?"

"Through Riki," Kivat explained. "You see, Riki is part of a clan known as Franken. They were beings of immense strength and power who could not be fooled by any sort of illusion. However, the Fangires wiped almost all of them out because they saw this as a threat. Riki is the last one. He saw Fran one day when he was buying groceries and mistook her as a Franken. Of course she was captivated by him and the others, scientifically speaking. She offered to use cloning to help boost their numbers, but she hasn't perfected it yet. The last time she tried she accidentally created a hybrid of Merman, Wolfen, and Franken. That wasn't fun."

"You'll have to tell me about it sometime," Ranma commented.

"Remind me and I will," Kivat nodded. "Anyway, after that incident, we came to the deal that if we provide her with research material such as Fangire remains or other things, she'll take care of any and all of Ranma's medical needs. It's worked out quite well actually."

"I'll bet," Ranma nodded. "So, her assistants or whatever you want to call those other guys, they're really scared of humans?"

"That's nothing!" Kivat chuckled. "They cry when monsters die in monster movies too! They think the gory parts when humans get killed are funny as well."

"You're joking," Ranma gaped.

"Boy, trust me on this," Kivat chuckled. "You cannot make this up."

* * *

**Examination Room**

Inside one of the many medical operation rooms within the mansion, Fran was busy at work with Ranma-Kiva. She had donned scrubs in case surgery was required. At the moment she was carefully examining the Kiva world native as he lay on a stretcher without his shirt, bare-chested. Normally many young women Fran's age would be quite pleased with the sight. However, Fran's mind was trained solely on science so she didn't really consider the attractiveness of other people. Well, other than Dr. Madaraki

Around the pair were several advanced medical instruments used to monitor a patient's health and keep them alive should their body begin to fail. Never let it be said that Fran was not an expert in the field of biotechnology. Of course, she wasn't anything compared to the doctor who gave her life. She still had a long way to go in that case.

"Now then, let's begin," Fran nodded, pulling a surgeon's mask over her face. "Has the anaesthetic my assistants gave you working?"

"Like a charm," Ranma-Kiva nodded. "Pain's gone."

"Good," Fran nodded. Pulling out a stethoscope, she began taking the number of heartbeats. "How many times did you transform?"

"Twice in a twelve hour period," Ranma-Kiva answered. "Used the Monster Arms four times."

"Hmm, no wonder the damage seems crippling," Fran nodded. Having tended to the young Saotome before, Fran knew that his armor tended to leave almost inhuman amounts of strain on the body when in use for too long. Were it not for his resistance to injury and rather astonishing healing factor, she would have had to operate to replace the damaged muscle tissue and organs. That was kind f a disappointment since Ranma-Kiva was actually the most physically fit unaltered specimen she had ever seen and she wanted to see what his insides were like.

"Your heartbeat is a little fast, not unusual for someone who has been dealt considerable trauma," Fran noted, her assistant writing it down. "We'll have to get some X-rays and MRI scans to see if there is any considerable internal damage. Honestly, the punishment you put yourself through is amazing. It really opens my eyes to just how much punishment a human body can take."

"You'd be surprised what a human can do," Ranma-Kiva chuckled. "Your father pushes the boundaries of human knowledge all the time, doesn't he? I push the physical side."

"Hmm, that he does," Fran smiled fondly. "You know, I did manage to identify the organ which Fangires use to draw raw energy out of humans. If you'd like, I could implant it into you so you can draw energy out of Fangires so you'd never have to worry about this happening again. I really feel this could be a breakthrough!"

"Uh…no thanks," Ranma-Kiva sweatdropped. He knew Fran well enough. She liked to test new theories with guinea pigs who volunteered for the procedures. Oh, she'd never do anything which could kill a person, but sometimes the drawbacks could make a person wish they were dead. He knew she only wanted to help, but she was more in for the science of the procedures rather than the people. He knew to stay away from the operating room unless he was on the verge of death.

"Mnn. Oh well." Fran pouted before turning to her assistants. "Prep the MRI and X-rays please. I'll have to go see Clone-san and explain what's going on."

The physically mismatched assistants nodded and began the process. They wheeled Ranma-Kiva out of the room and to where they kept the scanning machines ready for use.

"He's not a clone," Ranma-Kiva grunted as he was wheeled out of the room.

"Yes, yes," Fran nodded dismissively. "I'll be back to check on the results."

Ranma-Kiva frowned, wondering what Fran would do with the knowledge that alternate worlds existed. She may know in theory but what would happen when she discovered actual physical evidence?

That was a scary thought. Knowing Fran, she was liable to do anything.

--TIME BREAK—

With a smile, Fran entered the living room as to properly entertain her other guests. Upon entering the room, she saw that someone had beaten her to it. Sitting on the table was Kivat, but with him was Fran's closest friend and sometimes assistant Okita. He was a rather handsome fellow with strongly defined male features on his face and stylish brown hair. His face was made for the magazines. However, the rest of him was the body of a cat. He and Kivat were chatting on the table and enjoying saucers of tea. Meanwhile, Ranma was on the opposite side of the table, wanting to be far away from the feline-human gestalt.

Not that he was alone.

Sitting next to Ranma and practically moulding herself to his body was another one of Fran's assistants named Adorea. In terms of figure, she was actually quite drool-worthy. She was trim and thin with a well cared for body. She had luxurious black hair which fell down her shoulders and her bust was something to be proud of too. However, she was wrapped from head to toe in white gauze like a mummy and wore a simple white sundress, revealing no patch of skin visible anywhere on her.

"Ah, it seems Okita and Adorea were entertaining you while I was busy," Fran smiled at Ranma and Kivat. "You're lucky Adorea didn't try to sneak a kiss. She's lethal that way."

"Uh…uh…uh," Ranma shuddered, his mind in a rather fragile state. Seeing Okita partially triggered his Neko-Ken fears, but because he didn't look entirely like a cat, he wasn't completely afraid of the strange being and thus politely (for him) relocated himself a fair distance away while Kivat and the man with a cat's body chatted like old friends. However, as he was distracted by Okita's appearance, he didn't notice Adorea slipping into the room without a sound and sidle up next top him. In fact, he didn't notice her until she began invading his lap and rubbing her bandaged cheek against his.

"Ah, she has you spellbound," Fran giggled. "Adorea is one of the more attractive out of all of us here. She's been asked out on dates before but she's never really shown an interest in men until now."

"She does know I'm not the same Ranma, right?" the pale pigtailed martial arts asked, hoping that Adorea didn't go on the warpath like other girls he knew. Who knew what kind of advancements Fran had given her?

The bandaged woman seemed to nod slowly before she returned to pressing herself against Ranma, cuddling contentedly. Smiling, Fran put the answer into words, "Oh yes, she does know. However, you're a genetic match so you're a good enough substitute until he's back on his feet. I can tell from here. You don't have any of the surgical markings that people go through to become a body double. Surgeons can hide the markings, but I know where to look. I've done a few myself. You just have to be a clone."

"Don't I feel special," Ranma muttered distractedly, ready to move at a moment's notice if it looked like Adorea was beginning to get upset. Normal girls were scary enough but the beings Fran had running around her house? That was a whole new level of fear, especially when they were female too. It was almost as bad as cats in his mind.

"Enough about the lovebirds," Kivat spoke up, flying over to Fran. "Is Ranma okay?"

"He's in testing right now," Fran smiled. "We should be getting results soon. In the meantime, I would be most interested in learning how Ranma managed to clone himself. I've been meaning to work on my theories but I just haven't had the time for it."

"I'm not a clone!" Ranma snapped.

"That's right," Kivat nodded. "It's a rather complicated story so you'd better sit down for it."

"Very well," Fran nodded, heading over to where Okita was with the tea set. "I admit that I am getting intrigued now."

"You ain't heard nothing yet," Ranma sighed.

* * *

**?????**

Anti-Cross entered a darkened building, using an old sewer runoff so that he could remain hidden from sight. No point in alerting the locals that a Kamen Rider was based nearby. The ground was crusty with filth and mud as the black Rider trudged through the tunnel. The light was minimal even in the daytime like it was now. However, Anti-Cross didn't care. Coming to a grate, he gripped the iron bars before removing the metal, revealing that it was only for show before continuing. The muck and sludge eventually tapered off, revealing clean metal pipes as more and more light appeared in front of the black Rider.

Emerging from the shadows into the dingy illumination, Anti-Cross emerged into what seemed to be the stereotypical basement or garage base. A few foldable tables were set up with computers and other technological devices used for measurements or some other function. There were few people around, seven at the most. They were all milling about, checking measurements and making sure that the equipment was running smoothly.

"Ah, Anti-Cross, you're back," one of the technicians smiled, seeing the armoured Rider approach. The other technicians immediately noticed and began offering greetings and congratulations.

"Good to be back. Another successful hunt too," Anti-Cross replied, "However, there was a complication involved. Kiva."

"The Fangire King?" asked one of the men. "Were you able to beat him?"

"Didn't have to. His armor managed to do that for me. It obviously puts him under a lot of strain much like the IXA system does with its users," Anti-Cross explained, "He's probably not adapted to it yet. We have a window of opportunity to explore."

"We do," nodded one of the technicians. "If someone can hold out against Kiva long enough, then his armor will be able to finish him off, or at least weaken him to the point where we could do that."

"The downside to that plan is that Kiva is still a powerful fighter in the meantime," another technician retorted, moving to a console and bringing up several video files. Each file depicted Kiva fighting against a Fangire of some kind and always winning. Some of the Fangires in the files were ranked as powerful enough to give the likes of IXA and Anti-Cross pause, but Kiva still fought them and destroyed them just the same.

"It makes holding out against him difficult," Anti-Cross nodded. "Obviously the time limit was shorter than in the files. Either he was using it beforehand or he's begun to reach his limit in how much his body is able to withstand. If it's the former than the next time I face him he's going to be able to last longer. If it's the latter, then we might be able to be rid of Kiva before too long."

"But what if it is the former?" asked a third technician. "If it is then Kiva would have a huge advantage with his skill set being so advanced."

Anti-Cross didn't like that observation, but he couldn't refute it. Kiva was indeed a genius at martial arts and fighting. He had taken on Fangires who had lifetimes of experience at their beck and call and still beat them. His natural awareness and reflexes were rare in a person, if seen at all, "I already have an idea for that,"

"Sir?" asked one of the technicians.

Anti-Cross walked to a terminal and pulled up more video files. They depicted more of Kiva's battles, but this time they all had something in common. A woman in a black dress accompanied by two babies was always seen hiding in the background or attempting to flee from the battle. Usually the Fangires in these videos had a vested interest in seeing the woman's death along with the two children in her arms. Pointing her out in several videos, he continued, "Kiva seems to be going out of his way to protect this woman and her children. Obviously they mean something to him."

"His wife and children perhaps?" asked one of the tech geeks of the group.

"Possible, but they would make perfect distractions to eat up at Kiva's time limit," Anti-Cross shrugged.

"That they would," another tech expert agreed, rubbing his chin. "But how would we find them?"

"Simple, we search," Anti-Cross answered as he turned to face his lackeys. "Send the call out and make sure that no stone is left unturned. This woman and her brats are obviously a key to defeating Kiva once and for all!"

"Hai!" the group nodded as one.

* * *

**Madoraki Manor**

Ranma held nothing back explained to her about his mission. He explained how he was to journey to the Rider Worlds and save them by assisting his alternate selves. He told her about Faiz, Caucasus and Ryuki, as well as the creatures they had to fight. Fran listened attentively as she took sips of her tea and nibbled on a cookie or two. Of course, Okita was keeping his distance, having correctly deduced that Ranma was afraid of him and Adorea was still contentedly cuddling his side. So long as she didn't try to have her way with him and not get upset, he would try his best to ignore her. Finally, Ranma ended his tale and waited for his audience's reaction.

"Wow," Okita blinked. "I guess it goes to show that as much as humans know, there's always something left to learn."

"On that I agree," Fran nodded. "I'm afraid that quantum physics and mechanics just aren't part of my area of expertise. Although there are so many questions I want to ask. Still, I want to know only one thing."

"And that is?" asked Ranma, expecting some kind of technical question. He wouldn't be disappointed.

"Just what is the level of medical technology of your world?" the stitched girl asked bluntly.

"Well…not too sure myself," Ranma grimaced. "I know lots about stomach pumps and the operating procedure when it comes to poisons though. I think they're on the verge of developing some new anti-poisons and a smoother method of pumping a stomach thanks to the amount of times I had to go into the hospital for food poisoning treatment."

"Oh? Were you trying to kill yourself?" asked Fran.

"No!" Ranma snapped, making Adorea hug him tighter so not to lose her place. "My uncute tomboy of a fiancée just can't seem to figure out she sucks at cooking and no one seems keen on telling her so instead they force me to eat it. I've had to go see a shrink twice because of all the visits."

"Uncute tomboy? Oh, you mean Akane Tendo," Fran nodded. "Your counterpart talked about her once or twice. Obviously no love lost between them. I'm a lover of love myself so it's just so disappointing seeing a couple break apart like that. I am rather impressed with her talent in creating toxins though. It took me a month to figure out how to nullify some of the things she put in the sample Ranma let me have in lieu of his usual payment with Fangire remains. Just a few household products and foods mixed together and she has something which can drop full grown men several times over!"

"Sounds like her teriyaki surprise," Ranma shuddered.

"I think that's what it was supposed to be," Fran pondered. As she tried to recall just what the supposed food reminded her of, one of her nightmarish assistants in scrubs entered the room and passed her several plastic sheets which had white images on them. "Oh, thank-you." The assistant nodded and took his leave, letting the remaining people turn to Fran in hopes of answers.

"Hmm," the stitched blonde observed as she held the sheets to the light. Usually a doctor would have preferred to have the X-rays and MRI scans against a stable light source to see them. However, Fran had the skilled and steady hands of a surgeon. Her eyesight was incredibly sharp thanks to her father so she could read the plastic sheets with any kind of light source. After a moment of reading the information, she made her diagnosis. "Well, it seems Ranma has gotten off easy this time. His bones show serious strain, especially in the torso area. His organs are also showing deep bruising, but nothing life-threatening. Some painkillers and rest and he should be fine. His healing factor should make the recovery rather quick."

"What a relief!" Kivat sighed, slumping onto the table surface.

"Seemed more serious than that," Ranma frowned.

"Well, his heart shows some strain, but again some rest and his healing factor should clear that up," Fran nodded. "I think the gap between his transformations coupled with his healing factor is what allowed the damage to be so manageable this time around. Usually I'm putting casts on or giving him my special coagulant pills so to stop internal bleeding. He was quite fortunate this time."

"Yeah. Usually he's a mess when he drags himself to our door," Okita nodded. Adorea shivered against Ranma, recalling the times when her crush dragged himself to their home in need of medical attention.

"So is he good for travel now?" asked Ranma.

"Hmm, if he wasn't the one operating any motor vehicles I'd say yes," Fran shrugged. "I'd feel better if he got some sleep first though. His healing factor seems to work best when he's sleeping or eating."

"Amen," Ranma grinned.

* * *

**Castle Doran**

The halls of Doran were quiet as they usually were with only the sounds of flickering torches resounding in the hallways. Most of the residents were down in the main rooms somewhere, meaning that the rest of Doran was quiet empty. The windows allowed some sunlight to enter, but no one was around to appreciate it.

Save one.

"Ungh!" a voice grunted from outside Doran. From the brightly lit outdoors, a grapple line could be seen latching onto a window ledge. It easily caught on the stone after breaking a pane of glass so to latch onto something. The grapple line then grew taunt before shaking slightly, indicating that someone was climbing it. A few moments of the grapple line's movements followed before the owner of the line revealed himself, climbing onto the ledge.

"Ahh! Nothing like a brisk climb," Kaitoh grinned, reaching the closed window. Checking it, he was happy to discover that it wasn't locked and a little force allowed it to be opened wide. Hopping inside, he recollected his grapple line before shutting the window. Seeing no one was around, he quickly collected the pieces of broken glass and removed the small pane which he had broken. Since the panes were in sizable squares, such a feat was possible. This way, the broken window wouldn't immediately be noticed without any broken glass around. Finally, he dumped the glass shards into a nearby vase, hiding evidence of his arrival.

Dusting his hands, he began travelling through the halls of castle Doran. He moved through the enchanted corridors as if he had been there before and with purpose. It was quite plain to see that he knew where he was going and what he wanted to do.

"Prepare to be added to my collection, Zanvat Sword," Kaitoh grinned with anticipation.

* * *

**Madoraki Manor**

Ranma-Kiva grunted as he shrugged on his black jacket, feeling some soreness in his limbs. The painkillers had worn off and now he had full motor control over all of his limbs. Overexposure to the Kiva armor was never fun and always left him feeling like he was on fire with a massive hole punched in his gut. He was just thankful that Fran was willing to help him discretely when the overexposure got serious. His healing factor allowed him to be as spry as he was, but Fran's medicine was always a much appreciated help.

Thanking the milling about assistants for their help, Ranma-Kiva went off in search of his counterpart and Fran so he could get going and try to figure out who this Anti-Cross guy was. Fighting Fangires was one thing, but if this guy was going to try and take him out than he was going to be in for a rude surprise and a world of hurt next time. The only problem was his suit. It didn't take a genius to see that it was similar to the IXA designs. An almost perfect copy save for the colors and the belt.

As far as Ranma-Kiva knew, Rook of the previous Checkmate Four (who had gone missing since his last battle) had killed everyone who had invented the first IXA system and everyone else could only upgrade from the original. Just building the first IXA to take on the Fangires took resources that the Wonderful Blue Sky Organization was still slowly recovering. The pieces needed to build and maintain IXA were rare and expensive. Who could have gotten their hands on some to build this Anti-Cross system?

Still, he knew who he could ask.

Walking through the halls and nodding hellos to Fran's various friends and assistants, Ranma-Kiva found the living room where the lady of the house was having tea with Kivat and his counterpart. Okita was talking with Kivat while Adorea was sitting in Ranma's lap, enjoying the company and contact. Making sure to keep Okita in view at all times, Ranma-Kiva entered the room and it didn't take long for Fran and all of the others to take notice of him.

"Ah, you're up and about already," the stitched blonde smiled. "Your healing factor never ceases to impress me." Standing up and striding over to Ranma-Kiva, she drew a penlight and scanned the false Fangire king's eyes, checking for reactions. "How are we feeling? Anymore pain? Stiffness?"

"Still sore from the overexposure, but that's fading," Ranma-Kiva answered. "Other than feeling a little sleepy, I'm fine."

"Good," Fran nodded, withdrawing. "Well, it seems you're back at one hundred percent. I would advise against transforming until you recharge on Fangire energy."

"Well, if the doctor orders it, I have to obey," Ranma-Kiva shrugged. Glancing over to his counterpart who seemed quite nervous about Okita's proximity and Adorea's cuddling, the Kiva wielder decided to end his counterpart's suffering. "Well, I think we'd better get going then. There's no rest for Riders and we have to get back to Doran."

"Yeah, what he said," Ranma nodded rapidly, standing next to his counterpart. Fran blinked at the young man's sudden appearance before looking back ot Adorea, who just plopped onto the couch, looking more than a little confused as to where her seat had suddenly vanished to. Used to what Ranma Saotome was capable of, Fran shrugged and turned back to her guests.

"Well, if you won't stay to help with my research then I suppose I shouldn't keep you," she shrugged. "Thank you for the Fangire remains. I so love putting them back together. It's like one giant 3-D puzzle. What fun!"

"Yeah, fun," Ranma-Kiva sweatdropped. He would never get used to Fran's habits, not even if he lived with her. "Well, take care."

"Till next time!" Okita waved, Adorea matching the movement slowly.

Ranma was pretty sure he hadn't been so relieved since Akane malleted him across the district when it was her night to cook.

* * *

**Castle Doran**

Whistling a merry tune to himself, Kaitoh journeyed through the hallways of castle Doran. He didn't seemed concerned that he was inside a living fortress or the residents were powerful members of the Mazoku. Instead, he walked as if he was on a merry stroll, a pack slung over his shoulder as he went. He even took the time to stop and admire some of the portraits and other pieces of art that Doran had on display in its corridors. Walking to a corridor which split in two directions, Kaitoh pulled out a scrap piece of paper with what seemed to be a crudely drawn map on it. Looking in both directions and then to his map again, Kaitoh turned down the hall to the right and continued on his way. Looking at his map, he began counting doors on his left side before coming to a stop in front of a double pair of doors.

"Ah, here we go," he grinned.

Stepping through the doors, he found himself inside a large room which had little decoration beyond a fireplace, some curtains, and a portrait on the wall above the fireplace. There was nothing else in the room which led Kaitoh to believe that it hadn't been used in a long time. Smiling, he shut the door behind him before walking towards the wall with the fireplace. Checking his scrap piece of paper map again, he looked to the section of wall on the left side of the fireplace.

"Okay! Time to start digging!" Kaitoh grinned. Shrugging off his pack, he pulled out a pickaxe. Walking up to the section of wall, he reared back before taking a large swing which dug into the wall.

CLANG!

In another portion of Castle Doran, Jiro, Riki, and Ramon looked up from their poker game.

"Ne, ne, ne, what was that?" asked Ramon.

"Not…good," Riki frowned, setting down his hand.

"Might as well check it out," Jiro frowned. "Let's go."

Kaitoh didn't seem to mind thee noise as he continued to chip away at the wall, breaking off large chunks of stone and plaster which would crumble to the ground. He took his time and seemed to be swinging carefully and was even whistling 'I've Been Working On the Railroad' as he continued to swing with his pickaxe. Several swings into the song, he hefted his pickaxe over his shoulder and began to brush away bits of stone which had been jarred loose. Digging deeper, he discovered what he was looking for.

"Ah, there you are," he grinned.

Hidden beneath the stone and plaster was a sword. The handle and hilt seemed like they were made of gold with the symbol of Kiva on the top of the handle. The blade was buried into the stone, having actually cut into it. The sword itself radiated power like only a few other items like it had been able to. Kaitoh could only grin as he admired the beauty of the weapon itself.

"Now this is a treasure worthy of me."

"Who the hell are you?"

Kaitoh turned around to see the entrance to the room was wide open with the three residents of Castle Doran glaring at him. Well, they were until they saw his face. After which they started to gape openly at what they had seen.

"Uwah! It's another Ranma!" cried Ramon with shock.

"Not again," Jiro grumbled.

"Yes, again," Kaitoh chuckled as he faced the three. "The last of the Wolfen, Franken, and Mermen right here in front of me. What treasures you three would be. I guess it's a shame I can't take any of you with me along with the Zanvat Sword."

"Zanvat Sword?" Jiro blinked. Looking to the hole in the wall Kaitoh made, he, Riki, and Ramon saw the hilt of the Fangire King's sword sticking out. Their eyes widened in shock at seeing the blade, having seen it in action in the past. The last Wolfen summed up their feelings in regards to letting that blade leaving Doran with someone they didn't trust. "Oh hell no."

"Ah! You do know of it!" Kaitoh grinned. "Well, you must know its history then. Not to worry, I'll be taking it off of your hands quickly."

"The hell you will!" Jiro snarled, his eyes turning red while electricity began to surge around Riki with water doing the same with Ramon.

"Why must they always be difficult?" asked Kaitoh with a sigh. Reaching into his jacket, he produced his Diendriver while getting the Kamen Ride: Diend card from his pocket. As the Mazoku began to change, Kaitoh slid the card into his weapon before extending the barrel.

"**Kamen Ride,**"

"Henshin!" the treasure hunter cried before pulling the trigger.

"**Diend!**"

Diend's armor formed over his body as Garuru, Bashaa, and Dogga revealed their true forms. Diend just snickered at the sight, purely unafraid of the sight of three dangerous monsters in front of him. Garuru began the brawl by lunging forward, putting his speed to use, aiming to shred Diend. Diend was quick to counter. Twsiting around the Wolfen's lunge, he drew another card and slotted it into his weapon before activating it.

"**Attack Ride: Blast!"**

He squeezed the trigger and a rain of energy bolts crashed against Garuru. The blue Mazoku howled in pain as he crashed into the fireplace, cracking the stone that made up its surface. Turning to face the other two Mazoku, Diend reset the barrel of his gun.

"Sorry, but I can't let you get in my way. It's against my policy to leave anywhere empty-handed," said Diend.

Bashaa and Dogga did not reply with words, but instead charged with battle roars. Dogga threw powerful punch after powerful punch, aiming to knock Diend clear through a wall or out a window. Bashaa was twisting around Diend, trying to shoot water bubbles at him. Still, Diend managed to twist around and shoot several rounds at the Merman, knocking him over with several stinging feelings all over his body. Garuru managed to recover and dashed towards Diend who was dancing circles around Dogga as the Franken tried to pound him. Diend twisted around another punch to get grazed along the shoulder by the Wolfen. Diend was about to get his rhythm back, but was abruptly interrupted.

"_Surprise!_" Bashaa, called out, popping up as Diend was distracted by the Wolfen and Franken and firing a large water ball which crashed against Diend's chest, knocking him back with a splash of sparks. Dogga quickly took up the reins and landed a solid punch square against Diend's torso, sending him sailing through the air and crashing into the opposite wall, leaving an indent before he hit the floor.

"Ouch," the blue Rider grumbled as he began to get up.

"_This is your only chance to leave,_" warned Garuru as he and the other Mazoku began their approach.

"_We don't…like…intru…ders,_" Dogga spoke brokenly.

"_Yeah!_" nodded Bashaa.

"Boy am I in a pinch," Diend sighed as he got to his feet. "Looks like I'll need some professional help." Reaching to his belt, he drew three more cards, stopping the Mazoku as they prepared for another attack. Slotting the first card in, he extended the barrel.

"**Kamen Ride: Zanki!**"

Resetting the barrel, Diend slid the second card in and extended the machine again.

"**Kamen Ride: Ibuki!**"

"One last time," Diend nodded as he slid the last card in and extended the barrel.

"**Kamen Ride: Hibiki!**"

"Time for a party!" Diend called, pulling the trigger. Three orbs burst from the barrel before exploding into a barrage of green, blue, and red which seemed to fly all over the room. Bashaa, Dogga, and Garuru stepped back to avoid any kind of approaching attack. This only allowed the numerous images to converge together to become three new Kamen Riders.

Kamen Rider Hibiki's body was purple with red gauntlets and silver straps on his chest. His mask had no face, save for the one of his forehead, and had red facial markings like a kabuki actor. His head sported horns and around his waist was a belt with a taiko drum for a belt buckle, decorated with three spirals or fireballs. On the back of his belt were a pair of drumsticks, both topped with a demon face carved out of red gemstone, one smiling and the other snarling.

Zanki's body was dark green with brown markings on his face and a single horn mounted on his head, just above the Oni face on his forehead. He had a leather bandolier that looked like a guitar neck due to the strings. His belt was silver with the buckle looking like the strings of a guitar with a circle filled with three fireballs in it. Gripped in his hand was what looked like the lovechild of a guitar and an axe but styled like his armor with a red gem at the base, carved like a demon's face.

Ibuki had a black body with blue gauntlets and he too sported blue facial markings on his faceless mask. He wore a gold vest that looked like it was made from the pipes trumpets and trombones were made and his horns were arranged like a crown. His weapon of choice was a gun which looked like it could double as a trumpet, but the mouthpiece and the horn where the sound would come out were missing. His belt was silver with round centre that had the tri-fireball marking miniaturized in the centre.

"These guys are experts at demon slaying," said Diend. "Boys, it's time to jam!" He snapped his fingers.

The three Oni charged at the three Mazoku and the battle began again. Garuru fought against Hibiki, Zanki picked out Dogga, and Bashaa was fighting bullet to bullet against Ibuki. Diend just stepped back and observed the proceedings, not wanting to miss the chance at seeing the Mazoku of Kiva World fighting the Oni of the Takeshi Organization. Hibiki swung his weapons of choice at Garuru, the last of the Wolfen blocking the blow, however the tips of the drumsticks rung like bells, the sound waves making his ears hurt. While Zanki swung at Dogga, wind danced along the strings on its handle, making even Dogga wince. The sounds of Ibuki's gunshots were even causing Bashaa to flinch, the sound was so sharp and making him an easy target for the bullets. Diend's claim was definitely true; these three were professional monster hunters.

"_Nn!_" Dogga grunted as he blocked yet another strike from Zanki's axe/guitar. Swinging wide, Dogga aimed to plant the Oni in the floor. However, Zanki was much faster and rolled away from the attack. Dogga tried to twist around but got chopped in the side, making him grunt as sparks flew from his steel-like skin. Stumbling slightly, Dogga tried another attack, but again missed before Zanki twisted out of the way and nailed him with the axe again. "_This is…getting…annoying._"

Using another wide punch, Dogga began to recall his training with the Ranma of his world…

--FLASHBACK—

_Dogga and Ranma-Kiva had just finished their session together. As expected, Dogga had the advantage in terms of raw power, but he was severely lacking in the speed department and that was a critical weak point the fake Fangire King had used several times._

"_We're going to have to do something about your speed there Dogga," Ranma-Kiva sighed, helping the muscle-bound Franken to his feet._

"_I am…not…made for…speed," Dogga protested._

"_Well, speed may be about going fast, but its also knowing where you want to go," Ranma-Kiva shrugged. "What's the point in being fast if you can't predict your opponents' moves?"_

"_,,,predict…my…?"_

"_As heavy and strong as you are, your reflexes are pretty good," Ranma-Kiva grinned._

"…_movements," Dogga pondered._

--END FLASHBACK—

Grunting Dogga aimed another punch at Zanki, only to see the Oni beginning to swerve around the oncoming punch. However, Dogga quickly broke his stance and twisted slightly to follow Zanki's movement. The Oni had been trying to use another attack from the side but Dogga's punch came when he wasn't expecting it. Rather than attacking, Zanki got clobbered and sent sailing through the air before crashing against the wall. Dropping to the ground, the Oni vanished in a haze of multi-coloured pixels.

"Oh?" Diend blinked in interest.

"_Raaah!_" Garuru snarled, swiping at Hibiki with what speed he could muster. Still, the Oni he was fighting was quick to dodge or find points he could attack easily. Every impact from the drumsticks he wielded felt like it made echoes through his body and it messed with Garuru's balance slightly. Still, he wasn't going to concede defeat to anyone and instead kept fighting. Hibiki danced around the moves as if he were listening to music. After rolling underneath one such blow, the tips of Hibiki's weapons caught fire before he swung at Garuru, sending a pair of fireballs at the Wolfen. The Oni's aim was true as the fireballs exploded and sent the Wolfen crashing into the wall with a groan.

Grunting, Garuru regained his footing, recalling when he was in a situation like this.

--FLASHBACK—

_Garuru grunted as he got off the floor, rubbing his head after the heavy blow Ranma-Kiva had dealt him. What annoyed the Wolfen so much was that he hadn't been able to touch the artificial Fandiri even once. He had just danced around his attacks before using a double fisted blow to knock Garuru to the ground._

"_Lucky shot. That's all it was," Garuru grunted._

"_You wish," Ranma-Kiva sighed. "While you were busy trying to get in close so you could attack me, I had been setting the pace for this entire fight. I was leading you around by the horn until I got in a position ready to take you down."_

"_What?!" Garuru snarled._

"_You need to pay attention to your surroundings in a fight," Ranma-Kiva said to the Wolfen. "Otherwise your opponent is going to put you in a position which helps them and hurts you._"

-END FLASHBACK—

"_Of all the times for the kid to be right,_" Garuru grumbled.

Getting up, Garuru took a breath before charging at Hibiki again. Swinging at Hibiki again, Garuru aimed for shoulders or legs, knowing that the Oni would dodge. Garuru kept with his speed, attacking at a pace which left Hibiki no time to consider his actions, only dodge. The pair traversed across the room, Hibiki only being able to dodge rather than try to attack since Garuru kept blocking his avenues of escape with more attacks. A final wide slashed forced the drummer Oni backwards, but then he felt his back hit something. Turning slightly, he discovered that he had been backed into a corner. Eyes widening behind his helmet, Hibiki turned to look at Garuru again, but was treated to a wide slash which had blue energy rippling from the claws. The attack cut across Hibiki's armor, making the Oni cry out with a rain of sparks. Hibiki immediately slumped like a puppet with its strings cut before vanishing in a haze of pixels.

"_The kid will never let me live this down,_" Garuru snorted.

"_Ow!_" Bashaa whined as he was shot by Ibuki yet again. His thick skin prevented the bullets from doing serious harm, but they still hurt! The Oni was running circles around him, shooting without any real pause. Bashaa was trying to concentrate so he could shoot some water bullets of his own, but Ibuki's movement and shooting made it very difficult for the last Merman to do. Deciding to forget about his sniping capabilities for the moment, Bashaa charged at the wind Oni, aiming to take him down with his own two hands since it was coming to that. Yelling a battle cry, Bashaa swiped at Ibuki, trying to stop his barrage of bullets. The Oni wasn't being fooled unfortunately. Ibuki ducked under Bashaa's attack before firing several rounds into the Merman's hide, making said Merman cry out in pain and stumble backwards from the impacts.

"_What did Ranma tell me about fights like this?_" Bashaa asked himself, recalling sparring with Ranma-Kiva similar to this.

---FLASHBACK---

"_Ouch, ouch, ouch," Bashaa grumbled, rubbing his head after Ranma-Kiva managed to deal a heavy attack to his face and thus ending their sparring session._

"_Your accuracy is incredible Bashaa," Ranma-Kiva admitted as he drank a bottle of water. "Still, I've been telling you again and again that you're too used to standing still to use it. You have to move while shooting or else you're going to be a sitting duck."_

"_Ne, ne, ne! But no one's ever gotten close enough to hit me!" whined Bashaa._

"_No one?" asked Ranma-Kiva._

"_Well…" Bashaa mumbled. "Once or twice I guess…"_

"_You see, as good as a sniper as you are, sitting still just makes you a target," Ranma-Kiva nodded. "Now get up. We'll begin practicing you moving while shooting to see how accurate you are."_

--END FLASHBACK—

Shaking his head, Bashaa stared down Ibuki again. With a cry, the last Merman charged at the Oni of the wind. Ibuki took it in stride and fired again, but this time Bashaa dropped to the floor. Hitting the wood floor, he unleashed several water bullets. The bullets quickly collided with Ibuki's legs, knocking the Oni to the ground. "_Take this!_" Bashaa cried out as he jumped and continued to fire a barrage of water projectiles at his target. Ibuki rolled out of the way and fired at Bashaa, knocking him to the ground. The green Merman flipped back to his feet and ducked low when Ibuki fired again. He then began to put his agility to good use. Ranma-Kiva had given him a few lessons in acrobatics and gymnastics so not only was Bashaa moving about as he fired, he also jumped from one spot to another, doing flips as he continued to pelt Ibuki with his shots. One shot knocked Ibuki's weapon out of his hand, leaving him unarmed. "_Score!_" Bashaa cheered childishly. He then fired a large sphere of water at Ibuki and it smashed against him before sending him sliding across the floor and smashing against a wall. The Oni Rider then vanished like the others. "_Yes!_"

Meanwhile, as Diend had allowed his summons to play, he continued digging the Zanvat Sword out of the wall. "Just a little more…" he murmured. Then the Zanvat Sword would be all his. It was a sword that could match the sword of one of his mentors.

"_Get away from the sword!_"

Diend turned around to see the three Mazoku advancing on him, "Uh-oh." The last of the Mermen, Franken, and Wolfen did not look happy and were advancing on him with murder in their eyes. Acting quickly, he drew another card from his belt and slotted it inside of the Diendriver. The three Mazoku tensed as he extended the barrel and pointed the weapon at them.

"Say hello to an old friend!" Diend cheered.

"**Kamen Ride: Dark Kiva!**"

Diend pulled the trigger again, creating another orb of light. This time it created the form of a figure similar to Kiva. He was donned in blood red armor with a black chest which had three green stones embedded in it. A black cape hung royally from his shoulders, making him appear much like a king. His helmet was black save for the large green eyes acting as a visor. Sticking from the top of the helmet almost like a crown was a pair of bat wings.

Dark Kiva, the former King of the Fangires, had returned.

"_Waaagh!_" screamed Bashaa in fear.

"_Oh shit!_" snarled Garuru

"_King!_" gasped Dogga.

Needless to say, the trio had a history with this Rider.

"Say, Dark Kiva?" Diend spoke up, catching the black Rider's attention. "Your sword is in the wall here. Care to pick it up for me?"

Nodding, Dark Kiva marched towards the hole in the wall that Diend had made and grabbed the hilt of the Zanvat Sword. With a mighty pull fitting for a Fangire King, the sword came free with a metallic sliding noise. The Mazoku thought their blood ran cold when the dark Rider turned his attention back towards the trio. The three Mazoku tensed, ready for an attack. However, Dark Kiva merely clenched his fist and created a black symbol of Kiva above the trio which was surrounded by a green aura. Dark Kiva then gestured down, slamming the emblem on top of the three with an electric crackle.

"_Gyaaaaaahhhhh!_" the three cried out, instantly flattening out on the floor from the impact and electric shock. They were pressed against the ground for only a few moments, but to them it felt like an eternity. Mercifully, Dark Kiva ended the pain, bit it left the trio collapsed on the floor, semi-conscious.

"And that is that," Diend nodded. Looking to Dark Kiva, he spoke. "We'll meet up at our little hideout. Meet you there," Drawing a card, he slotted it into the Diendriver and activated it.

"**Attack Ride: Invisible!**"

Diend vanished into the air, his card rendering him truly invisible. Dark Kiva only glanced at the three groaning Mazoku before he strode confidentially out of the room. The Wolfen, Merman, and Franken were really in no condition to stop him.

* * *

**Streets of Tokyo**

"Why are we here?" asked Ranma, both he and his Kiva counterpart coming to a stop in front of a western style café called Café Mal d'amour. It seemed like a small business, but one that did reasonably well for itself. It was decorated with tasteful plants which enhanced its western outlook and made it look very professional and clean. All in all, the kind of place Ranma couldn't go into since a rival or fiancée would usually get in a snit over something and destroy it while fighting him inside.

"It's where I can ask about Anti-Cross," Ranma-Kiva answered, approaching the door. "Believe it or not, this is the meeting place of a group of Fangire hunters calling themselves The Wonderful Blue Sky Organization. It was them who created a system similar to Anti-Cross called IXA."

"IXA?" Ranma blinked. "A white suit of armor with a gold cross faceplate?"

"That's it," Ranma-Kiva nodded. "These people made it to help them stop Fangires from killing people. They've had their sights on me for a while before I managed to convince their lead hunter that I am not a threat to humanity."

The pair entered the café and walked through a second set of doors before they entered the proper café itself. It was a small place with a bar area and a few tables for patrons to sit at. The far wall had ornamental plates on it, each with a specific year on them. Just behind the counter was a small golden retriever puppy. Tending to the counter was a men in a blue shirt and glasses who was cleaning cups. Hearing the ringing bell, he looked up…and his jaw dropped.

"R-Ranma?!" he gaped.

"Hello Akira-san," Ranma-Kiva waved. "Yes, I am aware that there's a guy who looks just like me. It's a long story. I'll tell you later. I promise."

"Well…if you'll explain," the glasses-sporting man shrugged, composing himself. "What can I help you two with?"

"Is Yuri here?" Ranma-Kiva asked bluntly.

"Yuri? Ah, she's in the ladies' room," Akira answered. "She should be out in a moment. Could I get you a drink while you wait?"

"Tea please," both Ranma's answered.

"Coming up!" Akira smiled, turning to his open kitchen.

Taking a seat, both Ranma's waited for the woman named Yuri while Akira started making some tea for the both of them. Not a minute into the waiting, Ranma decided that his curiosity couldn't be held off any longer, "So just who is Yuri?"

"She's the best hunter in the organization," Ranma-Kiva explained. "She's also the current user of the IXA system. Her mother helped invent it too so any and all questions about it and Anti-Cross would be best pointed at her. She has something of a bad attitude towards Fangires though and since she was IXA, she had been hunting me down for ages."

"So is she still hunting you?" asked Ranma.

"No. I managed to get her to back off," Ranma-Kiva shrugged. "It was hard, but I managed to convince her that we're on the same side. She's actually really nice and dare I say really cute once she isn't inside her armor."

"Cute huh?" Ranma snickered. "You dating her?"

"We've went out once or twice," Ranma-Kiva shrugged. "Nothing too serious. She's my type though so I'm interested."

"What about the Fiancée Brigade?" the dimensional traveler wondered.

"After what they tried on Maya, almost hurting the boys in the process, they've lost any chance they had at me," Ranma-Kiva frowned darkly. "I'm through trying to play nice with them since it always ends up in brawls and I didn't realize until then that there are people who can get caught in the crossfire. Since it was Nerima, people had the common sense to run for it and keep their distance, but sometimes people can't run or are just too dumb to get back. When the fiancées and rivals fight, they forget that other people are around and put them at risk. I won't put up with that anymore."

Ranma grimaced at the somewhat grim answer, but he had to admit that his Kiva counterpart had a point. Ryoga was notorious for forgetting that other people were around when he fought. Heck, he seemed unable to notice people were around unless they talked to him, he asked for directions, or they did something to catch his attention. His habit of blasting through walls with the Bakusai Tenketsu whenever he was lost sure made the point clear. Mousse was by far the worst offender since he couldn't see anything he was attacking more often than not. Heck, none of the fiancées really cared if they destroyed anything in their fights so long as they won. He had been caught in the crossfire of their spats enough times to know that.

Ranma would have continued his questions when a side door near the counter opened and a customer walked out. She was a tall woman with jeans and a red top and white vest. She had long black hair which was kept in a functional rather than stylish ponytail. She was definitely cute from what Ranma could see, but he could also see that she was a fighter as well. Not on his level, but her dedication was quite obvious even from where he was sitting.

"Yuri!" Ranma-Kiva waved, catching the woman's attention. Her eyes turned towards the identical young men before her jaw dropped.

"Ranma?! W-what…how…?" she gaped.

"I'll explain later, but for now I really need some information," Ranma-Kiva answered.

Yuri blinked before composing herself. There was time enough for questions later, "What is it you need?"

"Have you ever heard of a system called Anti-Cross?"

* * *

**????**

"I have new information," the voice of Anti-Cross echoed through the base. The numerous technicians quickly took notice of their leader as he approached them with a USB drive which he plugged into one of the terminals. The screen came to life to reveal one of the many skyscrapers which littered Tokyo.

"What is this Taichou?" asked one of the technicians.

"According to my benefactor, this is where Kiva is hiding," Anti-Cross explained. "The lower floors are disguised as common business offices and are rented out to the people who are ignorant to the identity of the place. However, the upper floors have no access and no elevators will go there. The building also gives off too much heat in the upper floors. If anything, something unusual is going on there and needs investigation. If Kiva is there, this will be our chance to annihilate him."

"Should we gear up sir?" asked one of the technicians.

"No. I'll go alone," Anti-Cross denied. "Prepare the Nega Powered. No holds barred this time."

* * *

**Café Mal D'amour**

"Anti-Cross?" asked Yuri with some confusion.

The two identical boys and one woman were seated by the window, all three of them enjoying a cup of tea. The two Ranma's were facing Yuri as they asked for an explanation. It was a little surreal to the Fangire hunter, but after all of the things that she had seen since she had begun her occupation, it wasn't enough to confuse her for long. She just took it in stride and listened to what the two wanted.

"It looks like a variant of the IXA system," Ranma explained. "It's nearly identical save for the colors and the buckle which uses a dagger instead of a blade.

"Hits harder than IXA if you ask me," Ranma-Kiva muttered.

Yuri took in the information with a frown. As the daughter of one of the head scientists who invented the IXA system, she had some clout in hearing about their plans. As the new user of it, she was required to be brought up to speed on things regarding IXA from repairs and replacements to upgrades and ideas. Usually it involved ways for the wearer to handle the stress that the system put on the human body. However, there were other things that she had been alerted to in the past.

"Anti-Cross…I've heard of it," she finally answered, catching the two Ranmas' attention. "IXA is considered the baseline when it comes to Fangire hunting technology. It's the most effective weapon we have. However, there are still was to improve."

"So Anti-Cross is…?" asked Ranma.

"Specialty design IXA systems were proposed a while ago since the original IXA system was proving so successful in the field," Yuri answered. "Several different systems were designed for situations. Say, underwater or in extreme temperatures. Since Fangire abilities range in all sorts of ways, there had to be special suits used to deal with them if the situation ever arose. Anti-Cross was one of the systems proposed if a situation ever came up."

"What situation could warrant it?" asked Ranma-Kiva.

"War," Yuri replied plainly. "It was feared that in retaliation to the hunters using IXA, the Fangires would declare war and IXA wouldn't be enough to save us so that's where Anti-Cross would come in. It gets its name because of the dark motif and how war is a sin in the eyes of Kami. Where IXA was made to defend humanity, Anti-Cross was made to utterly destroy the enemy. Where did you two hear about it?"

"Has anyone built an Anti-Cross unit?" retorted Ranma-Kiva.

"No, but that doesn't answer my question," Yuri replied.

"Someone has created an Anti-Cross unit," Ranma answered, causing Yuri to gasp. "He's been using it to destroy Fangires which may not be a bad thing, but he's put a bull's eye on Kiva here. I thought your organization was okay with him."

"We are!" Yuri cried. "Ranma is an invaluable ally. With his position in Fangire society he has been curbing Fangire attacks by destroying Fangires that go on killing sprees. With his insights, we've learned more about Fangires as well. We understand they need life energy to survive, but surely there are other ways to obtain it besides killing people recklessly for their own amusement."

"A problem myself and the others have been working on," Ranma-Kiva sighed. "Apparently whoever built and is using the Anti-Cross system thinks otherwise. Honestly, I just hope he's like how you used to be Yuri; misinformed. If he is then maybe we can talk it over and reach an understanding. Otherwise I am going to have to put the jerk down and **hard**. Still…there's something about him that bothers me."

"What's that?" asked Ranma.

"Whoever Anti-Cross is, he knew about my armor's negative effects," Ranma-Kiva replied. "Not even Yuri or the other hunters knew about that until I told them. He's strangely well-informed."

"How do you think he knew?" asked Yuri.

"…I think a Fangire is helping him," Ranma-Kiva replied.

* * *

**Castle Doran.**

Kasumi was hard at work patching up the injuries that Jiro, Riki, and Ramon had suffered in fighting the Ranma lookalike who was called Diend. They told of how he had summoned strange Kamen Riders to fight them before he summoned Dark Kiva and crushed them. The mere mention of the former King's title caused Maya to pale, but she didn't want to talk about why the name caused her to react in such a way. The theft of what Kasumi found to be the Zanvat Sword, a weapon only meant for Kiva and was capable of mass destruction was worrisome enough as it was. Still, Jiro, Riki, and Ramon needed tending to before they could alert the two Ranmas to the situation.

_Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble…_

"Ne, does anyone else hear that?" asked Ramon, looking around.

"You aren't the only one kid," Jiro frowned, grimacing with his bandages.

_RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE_

"Oh my," Kasumi frowned, worried about what might be happening.

"What is…that?" asked Riki, trying to sit up so he could try and get a glimpse out of the window.

**RUMBE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE**

Maya crossed the room in the direction in which the rumbling noise had been coming from. Looking down at the streets, she quickly discerned what was making the loud rumbling noise. Her eyes widened while she gasped in shock at what she was seeing.

A tank.

Turning towards the tower where Doran was hiding was what appeared to be something akin to a tank. It was large enough to be one, if not larger and was painted a sinister black color. It ran on four tank tracks, each covered at the front with sinister red claws. In the centre was a claw-like dragon head with red eyes and sharp edges almost like teeth. Attatched to the rear end of the machine was a large platform which housed four red capsules of some sort. Maya wasn't sure from the height, but she thought she could see a person sitting on the right corner, controlling the stranger machine.

"What on earth?" Maya gasped.

The black machine then seemed to shift as its treads shifted sideways so it could turn. Soon, it was facing in the direction of the Doran building with its red eyes glowing with mechanical malice. The figure piloting the machine shifted the controls, activating the dragon-like head. The machine proved to have a flexible neck underneath the head which bent backwards and grabbed one of the giant red capsules. Maya's eyes widened as the machine hurled its head forward and launched the red capsule…RIGHT AT DORAN!!

"Everybody duck!" Maya cried out dashing towards her family and friends.

KABOOM!!

The capsule exploded when it struck the side of the building and Doran. The entire wall exploded inward, littering the floor with stone, wood and glass. Kasumi and Maya were both littered with dust and splinters, but had both reacted quickly to shield Wataru and Taiga from harm. Doran's screech of pain was probably the only thing that drowned out the noise of both babies' crying. Jiro, Riki, and Ramon were all on the floor, feeling more pain than before thanks to their trip and the explosion.

"-cough- is everyone okay?" asked Kasumi.

"Ugh…" grunted Riki, which summarised the feelings of the trio quite well.

The noises from the black tank below sounded off again and Maya feared another bomb would hit them. However, that was not the case as a black clad figure flew through the hole the bomb had made and landed on the floor. Maya gasped at the resemblance of this figure to the IXA armor her last lover possessed before the final battle with her ex-husband. The black armoured figure just seemed to gaze around the room before his eyes landed on her.

"Queen," he muttered. "It seems you've been doing well since your husband died."

Maya gasped.

"Who…who are you?" she gasped.

"Someone who remembers how things should be," the figure growled. "For now, call me Anti-Cross."

Anti-Cross then crossed the room, closing the distance between himself and the group, but came up short by only a few steps. His gaze was hard, but it was not trained on Maya, but rather on the two crying babies in the cradle behind her.

"So this is Kiva's secret," Anti-Cross muttered. "Why you gave up someone like your husband for a dirty blooded fool like Kiva is beyond me."

"My husband was a heartless monster!" Maya hissed, her Fangire markings appearing. "How could I not leave him for someone who cares about me?"

"The heart doesn't matter. Power does!" Anti-Cross snapped before he backhanded Maya in the face, sending her sailing across the room before crashing against the far wall. "I would have thought that the Queen of the Fangires would know that."

"Maya-san!" Kasumi gasped. She attempted to back herself and the boys away from Anti-Cross, but the black Rider was already upon her. Grabbing the front of her dress, he threw Kasumi across the room, dropping her next to Maya with a loud thud and a groan. With his way clear, Anti-Cross picked up the cradle which held Wataru and Taiga, leaving its legs on the floor before heading back to the hole he made. Jiro, Riki, and Ramon tried to get up to transform, but they were too injured from Diend's fight and the bomb Anti-Cross had thrown. As the black Rider reached the hole in the wall, he turned to face the group.

"If Kiva wants to see his stepson and his bastard child again, he'll meet me at the docks in the warehouse district," he spoke. "You're welcome to come, but if you interfere then both of these children die." His message sent, Anti-Cross leaped out of the hole.

"No!" Maya screamed, getting up on shaking legs before running to the hole in the wall. Panting, she looked down to see Anti-Cross already in his dragonic tank and rolling away. As injured as everyone was, no one would be able to follow them.

"NO!!"

* * *

**Café Mal D'amour**

"A Fangire?" asked Ranma.

"Why would a Fangire be helping a Fangire hunter?" asked Yuri.

"How else would he know that the Kiva armor is dangerous to humans?" asked Ranma-Kiva. "Besides, since the last King died the Fangire clan has been in upheaval or so I'm told. Fangires who wish to co-exist alongside humanity are popping up now that they know they aren't going to be given the death sentence for it. On the other hand, Fangires who believed in the old King are fighting that much harder to prove their superiority not to mention get revenge on those they feel responsible for the mess."

"Maya and her sons," Yuri sighed softly.

"Bingo," Ranma-Kiva nodded.

"So…by helping Anti-Cross, he's probably pointing him in the direction of enemy Fangires," Ranma frowned, his mind racing for an answer. "The question is, is the Fangire trying to destroy the loyal ones or the human-loving ones?"

"It's probably one of the Loyalists," Ranma-Kiva replied. "It's spread through the ranks that a new Kiva has appeared and has been defending humans. The good Fangires wouldn't want to mess with me. The Loyalists would have me at the top of their hit lists though."

"So the Fangire behind it all is sending Anti-Cross to assassinate Fangires who love humans," Yuri nodded. "Most likely its trying to restart the former King's regime of Fangire superiority. If Kiva won't do it, then this Fangire has taken it upon himself to do so."

"And if the human loving Fangires believe a human is behind it, it might make them rethink their stance on us," Ranma-Kiva frowned darkly. "This guy has got to be stopped, now!"

Suddenly, a ring tune sounding like a song called 'Supernova' began to go off. Blinking, Ranma dug into his pocket and pulled out a dark red cell phone. Flipping it oven, he saw Maya's name blinking across the top. Concerned, he hit the receive button and brought the phone to his ear, "Moshi moshi?" A frantic voice came from the other end, making Ranma-Kiva's eyes widen in shock. "What?!" More shouting. "Ok. Don't worry. I'll get them back! I swear!"

"What's wrong?" Yuri asked.

"Something bad happened in Castle Doran!" said Ranma-Kiva hurriedly.

"OK, then let's go!" said Ranma. The two Ranmas then dashed out of the café with Yuri close behind. She hopped onto the Machine Kivaa.

"Yuri?" asked Ranma-Kiva.

"You can't stop me, Ranma. I'm coming too!" the Fangire Hunter told him.

"Right, hang on tight!"

--TIME BREAK—

**Castle Doran**

"Maya!" Ranma-Kiva gasped as he burst through the doors into the main hall of Doran. Ranma and Kiva were close behind. Inside of the room was pure hell. The far wall was blown out and rubble was all over the floor. The Arms Monsters were in bandages while Maya was openly sobbing on the couch with Kasumi trying to console her. After the false Fangire King, Ranma and Yuri entered, gasping at the destruction which had been done in the absence of the two boys.

"Maya!" Ranma-Kiva cried, dashing to the former Queen and kneeling in front of her. "Maya, are you hurt?"

"We're just fine, thanks for asking," Jiro grunted as he tried to keep comfortable.

"He took my babies," Maya sobbed into her hands. "He took them away!"

Watching from the sidelines, Ranma clenched his fist in sheer malice, "Anti-Cross is going down. He's gone too far!"

"My thoughts exactly," Ranma-Kiva snarled imprints of Fangire markings appearing on his face. "He dies today! Where is he?!"

"He said he'd be waiting at the docks in the warehouse district," Kasumi reported. "He wants Kiva-kun, but if anyone interferes he'll hurt Wataru and Taiga," Maya's sob just punctuated her words.

"Then we know where to go," Ranma-Kiva growled. Standing up, he looked over to Yuri. "Yuri, could I ask you to stay here in case Anti-Cross decides to try something funny by targeting everyone here Jiro, Riki, and Ramon are in no condition to fight."

"I will," Yuri nodded. "Knock that monster down a peg for me."

"I will," Ranma-Kiva nodded before he turned to his counterpart. "Ranma, you come with me. I have a feeling I'll be needing backup."

"What about your armor?" asked Ranma. "If you use it now you could end up hurting yourself again."

"It's a risk I'll have to take," Ranma-Kiva sighed. "Now are you in or out?"

"In," Ranma nodded. "Let's kick this guy's ass."

-TIME BREAK-

The warehouse district in the docks wasn't what one would call a nice area. Years of different companies taking control of it left its mark and the more modern companies didn't want to do anything with it since it just meant putting down a butt load of cash to make it proper; money that no company wanted to spend unless they would gain profit from it. Since the district still brought in a profit now, they didn't see a reason to update it unless it started costing them money. So, it was a playground of old cargo bins and open warehouses with absolutely no security. Homeless people, gangs, various vermin, and runaways were all making nests there before they either decided to move on or got tossed out by some other resident. In other words, a downright perfect place to hide something that one didn't want found so long as they didn't mind guarding it.

The sounds of motorcycles echoed across the surface of the nearby water, signalling the approach of the Machine Decader and the Machine Kivaa with their respective drivers. The two Riders pulled up in front of one of the older warehouses which were covered in rust and peeling white paint. Both came to a slow stop before shutting off their machines and dismounted.

"So where is Anti-Cross anyway?" asked Ranma.

"Don't know, don't care," Ranma-Kiva frowned. "I'll just tear through this whole damn place until I find him."

"Bold words Kiva, but you don't have to go too far. I'm right over here."

Both Ranmas turned to the entrance of the large warehouse to see Anti-Cross leaning against the doorway. Waving smugly, the black-clad Kamen Rider turned his back to the pair and entered the shaded insides of the building. Neither Ranma hesitated before chasing after the evil Rider, entering the warehouse without a second thought. Entering the darkness of the building though, they realized that they had wandered into a trap. Towering in front of them was the black tank which had attacked Doran. Inside the mouth of the dragon head was the cradle which housed Wataru and Taiga. Leaning against the machine was Anti-Cross himself.

"You bastard!" Ranma-Kiva snarled.

"Shhh, there are children sleeping," Anti-Cross whispered, pointing up to the cradle. "Have some courtesy Kiva."

"Why are you doing this?" asked Ranma.

"Why?" asked Anti-Cross, seemingly unconcerned with the fact that there were two Ranmas, but neither of the two boys were sure why. "Why you ask? I do it to cleanse the world of the useless and unnatural! I killed those Fangires because there was no need for them! Fangires like them have no place in the world! They're better off dead rather than polluting the proper world as it should be!"

"Mighty words for a fanatic thug," Ranma-Kiva snarled. "Which warmongering Fangire planted those ideas in your head?"

"Shut up!" Anti-Cross snapped. "My thoughts are my own! I'll be the one to make the world the way it should be!" Anti-Cross then brought out a Fuestle like object which was designed after his dragon tank's head. "Listen up and listen well Kiva. If I use this Fuestle then your bastard son and the whore Queen's son are both turned to ash. My Nega-Powered's head is connected to four gallons of flammable liquid so it's more than possible and you know I'm not bluffing!"

"You sick freak!" Ranma-Kiva roared.

"You're the freak Kiva, not me!" Anti-Cross retorted. "I'm not completely heartless though. I'll only use this when you break any of my rules."

"And those are?" asked Ranma.

"Kiva, if you step even one toe outside of this building, your boys are toast," Anti-Cross explained. "You or your double over there touch my Nega-Powered, I hit the switch. You call for help, I will hit the switch. Your double interferes, then your kids are goners."

"That it?" asked Ranma-Kiva.

"That's it," Anti-Cross nodded, stashing the Fuestle on his belt. "Now transform and let's do this."

"Gladly," Ranma-Kiva frowned. "Kivat!"

"Yosh!" the voice of the Kivat Clan member cried before the tiny bat flew through the doorway and landed in Ranma-Kiva's open hand. Raising the bat up, Ranma-Kiva pressed him into his free hand, letting him bit down. "Gabu!" Fangire markings spread across Ranma-Kiva's face as the familiar red belt did the same on his waist.

"Henshin!" Ranma-Kiva called, snapping Kivat into place and activating the transformation into Kamen Rider Kiva.

"Excellent," Anti-Cross hissed. "Now let's begin!"

Kiva and Anti-Cross circled each other before either of them made the first move. Kiva had his eyes narrowed and then he charged at Anti-Cross and swung his right leg. Anti-Cross blocked the blow with his left forearm before he retaliated with a forward punch.

As the two native Rider's fought, the Ranma from another world was trying to figure out how to save the two babies. If he did it wrong then their lives would be lost. Faiz Axel and Caucasus would have the speed. The trick was to keep Anti-Cross distracted so he didn't notice, but in such a wide area he was sure to see. There was nothing to hide behind either save for the Nega-Powered and going near that would cause the psycho to hit the switch and kill the tots.

Kiva bellowed and used a roundhouse kick, aimed at Anti-Cross' head. However, the dark Rider ducked and attempted an uppercut. Kiva easily blocked the blow, using anti-cross' fist as leverage before kicking both feet into the evil Rider's head before sending him head over heels into the dirt. Anti-Cross gave a very undignified grunt as he landed on the concrete floor, much to both Ranmas' amusement.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Kiva spoke darkly as he advanced on Anti-Cross.

**THUMP-THUMP!**

"Agh!" Kiva cried, stumbling backwards and grasping his chest. "Not again!"

"About damn time," Anti-Cross grunted as he got to his feet. Kiva stumbled backwards, dropping onto his back while clutching his chest. Anti-Cross just grinned at the Rider's pain as he drew his Anti-Crosser, ready to use. "I've been looking forward to this!"

"No!" Ranma cried, beginning to attempt an interception.

"Stay back hero!" Anti-Cross spat, glaring at Ranma. "You interrupt and the kids are cinders! I'll bet you don't want their deaths on your hands."

"Keep…back!" Kiva grunted, still clutching his chest even now. "Wataru and…Taiga…are more…important…than me. If they…live…so does…the…future of…the Fangires!"

"Oh no Kiva. Tainted blood like theirs is not the future," Anti-Cross denied, raising his blade for a strike into Kiva's throat. "I'll make sure of it!"

"**Attack Ride: Blast!**"

Suddenly, several blue energy bolts cut through the air and collided with Anti-Cross' chest, knocking the Rider backwards and onto the concrete yet again. Both Kiva and Ranma were stunned by what had happened, obviously not expecting it. Glancing to the doorway where the shots had come from. There, illuminated by the sunlight was the blue and black form of Kamen Rider Diend, holding his smoking Diendriver in one hand and a long object covered in cloth and held by the edges in the other.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who decided to use this place as a hideout," Diend chuckled as he eyes the groaning Anti-Cross and the downed Kiva. "You seem to be running a little low there Kiva-kun. Good thing I came with a little pick-me-up

"What are…you…talking about?" asked Kiva with a grunt in his voice.

"Don't as me," Diend shrugged. "See for yourself. Catch!"

Diend tossed his cloth-covered package through the air. As it soared through the air, the cloth fell away from it, revealing it to be the golden Zanvat Sword which previous generations of Kings had used in battles in the past. Reaching out, Kiva expertly caught the handle in his grasp even in his weakened state. The almost prismatic blade shone in the sunlight, making the sword seem almost alive as Kiva stared as if hypnotized by its craftsmanship. All witnesses in the room were still as if in respect for the sword when quite suddenly, the sword suddenly began to shine with rainbow energy which swirled around its surface. The aura of the sword then spread to Kiva, seeping into his armor and being absorbed by his body. Feeling his Fangire energy rise, Kiva let out a quiet sigh of relief as he felt his heart calm.

**THUMP-THUMP!**

**Thump-Thump!**

Thump-Thump!

Panting slightly, Kiva slowly got to his feet, brandishing his sword and pointing the tip at Anti-Cross, "Now, where were we?"

"At the part where your kids get fried for interruption Kiva," Anti-Cross snapped, revealing the dragon-like Fuestle. Slipping it into his belt, he pressed the handle mechanism.

"NO!" Shouted Kiva.

"**Nega-Powered Activate!**"

The eyes of the tank suddenly came to life with a ruby shine. A roar then echoed from the machine itself before a nearly white hot gout of flame erupted from its mouth. The unfortunate crib was torched immediately thanks to its closeness and blackened bits of wood fell from the jaws and clattered to the floor, still smoking and on fire.

"NOOOOOO!" Kiva bellowed, frozen on the spot.

"YOU MONSTER!" Ranma snarled, retrieving the Decadriver.

"It's your fault I did it," Anti-Cross laughed as he stood up. "I just hope I can get a picture of that bitch Queen's face when she finds out her little brats are-!"

"**Clock Over!**"

A red blue and a blue blur suddenly appeared on both sides of Diend before emerging as the familiar forms of Kamen Riders Kabuto and Gatack. The witnesses in the room were understandably stunned by their appearance, even more so for Ranma since he knew he wasn't in Caucasus World anymore. What was even more surprising though was the fact that in their arms were sleeping babies. Wataru was snoozing quietly in Kabuto's arms while Taiga was in Gatack's.

"You know, it's not very nice to use babies like that," said Diend seriously as his summons held the babies protectively in their arms.

"B-but…HOW?!" roared Anti-Cross.

"That's the funny part…"

-FLASHBACK-

_Diend approached his hideout in full armor with the Zanvat Sword wrapped up and packages so he wouldn't have to touch it. His summons of Dark Kiva vanished after they got to the docks, leaving Diend to carry the sword. Getting closer, he heard voices coming from his base. Sneaking close, he took a peek through a side window to see Anti-Cross and two Ranma's in the room along with two babies held in the maw of a robotic tank/dragon. It didn't take a genius to tell that the babies were being held hostage by the Rider in the room._

_Setting down the Zanvat Sword, Diend drew two cards from his belt and started slotting them in before extending the barrel._

"_**Kamen Ride: Kabuto!**__"_

"_**Kamen Ride: Gatack!**__"_

_Pulling the trigger, Diend unleashed two orbs which burst into several primary coloured images before they fused together to create the two beetle Riders from Caucasus World. Picking up the Zanvat Sword, he approached the pair._

"_Keep an eye on the babies inside," he ordered. "If that guy in black armor so much as makes a threatening gesture towards them, Clock Up and get them the hell out. Understand?"_

_Kabuto and Gatack nodded before they took a position near the windows. Diend reset his weapon before he headed for the entrance of the warehouse._

-END FLASHBACK-

"Did you really think I was gonna let some babies fry?" Diend asked with a chuckle. "Sorry, but those babies have a very bright future ahead of them. They can't die just yet." He gestured to Ranma. "Ranma, you're up."

Meanwhile, Anti-Cross looked like he was about to blow the proverbial gasket as he absolutely seethed with rage. Clenching his fist and the grip on the Anti-Crosser, he nearly spat out his answer which he would have if he wasn't wearing a helmet, "Fine! I don't need to roast a pair of kids! I'll wipe out all you freaks and make sure that those who MATTER are the ones who stand on top, just like it should be!"

"You call Kiva a freak, but the real freak here is you. Using babies as hostages, killing off another race out of hatred and spite," Ranma frowned, walking over to his counterpart to stand side by side. "That's just low. When Kiva destroys Fangires it's not because of selfish reasons like that. He fights to protect the innocent and maintain peace in this world. You, you're just a bloodthirsty monster!

"You bastard! Who the fuck do you think you are!?" demanded Anti-Cross angrily.

"Who am I? I'm just a passing-through Kamen Rider. My name is Ranma Saotome!" He took out the Decade card and declared, "Remember that! Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!**"

The symbols that appeared surrounded him and became ghostly images of his armor as they converged upon him. The panels came onto his helmet, filling it with color. The Ride Booker then opened and spat out three cards. They were blank at first, but then quickly filled with new images. The first was of Kiva, the second had Kiva and a bow with an arrow designed after Kivat, and the last card had Kiva's symbol on it. Replacing the cards, Decade made his move, charging with the Ride Booker in Sword Mode.

Blades clashed as Anti-Cross' Anti-Crosser collided with Decade's Ride Booker. Decade continued to swing at Anti-Cross, forcing the enemy Rider on the defensive. Kiva and Decade slashed at the same time, their blades being blocked by the Anti-Crosser. They didn't slow down though, using their free hands to punch Anti-Cross in the gut, making him double over before kicking him in the face, making him stumble backwards. Both riders circled around the black Rider as he recovered and slashed at them, but a second double kick, this time to the head sent Anti-Cross sprawling backwards. Hitting the ground with a loud thud, he dropped the Anti-Crosser, much to his horror.

"No!" Anti-Cross attempted to reach for it, only to have it kicked away by Kiva. Kiva then kicked Anti-Cross hard in the chest, sending him tumbling.

"Let's finish this, Decade," said Kiva.

"Yes, we should," agreed Decade.

Both Riders drew the means of activating their finishers from their belts. For Decade, it was his Final Attack Ride card. For Kiva, it was the red bat-shaped Fuestle called the Wake Up Fuestle. Decade quickly opened the Decadriver and slipped the card inside before shutting it. Kiva inserted the Fuestle into Kivat's mouth before letting him blow into it, activating the magic.

"**Final Attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade!**"

"**Wake Up!**"

The line of cards appeared between Decade an Anti-Cross, the final card stunning the enemy as Decade leapt into the air. Kiva also launched himself high into the air, the chained boot on his right leg opening as the chains shattered. The crimson lining shone along with the emerald gems that were on it. Reaching the apex of their jumps, the two then came down upon their target, executing flying side kicks. Anti-Cross could not get away as their feet smashed straight into him crushing his chest armor sending him flying and tumbling along the ground, leaving gouges at every impact. The two Riders landed and watched as Anti-Cross struggled back to his feet and…

**BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!**

He exploded, with Kiva's symbol floating within the flames and smokes. The Riders expected to see nothing but when the smoke cleared they saw a figure. It was Anti-Cross for what he really was.

A Fangire.

The Fangire stood proud and tall despite the crushing defeat he had been handed. His Torso was wide with two bands of various shades of green stained glass covering it while his torso itself was composed of darker shades of green glass and black skin. His arms had more green coils wrapped around his arms before ending at his hands and revealing snake heads with his hands inside of them. His waist had a stained glas green loincloth with an animal skull embedded in the centre while his legs were wrapped in snake tails which were covered in stained glass. His head was mainly black and shaped like a snake skull with a cobra hood, decorated with green and yellow stained glass.

"…you know…I was half expecting this but I'm still surprised," Kiva blinked.

"You're surprised? I'm blown away!" cried Decade. "I thought a Fangire was manipulating him, not that he actually was one!"

"_SHUT UP THE BOTH OF YOU!!_" The Cobra Fangire bellowed, unleashing two gouts of acidic venom at the Riders. Both Riders, after years of anticipating attacks from all sorts of sources, were able to dodge effectively, leaving the acid to eat through the concrete. Angry and losing more of his temper, the Cobra Fangire continued to shoot venom from his hands.

"_You're both weak! Weak! I should be king! Me! Not some half-breed freak like you, Kiva!_"

"And that's exactly why you shouldn't be king!" countered Kiva. "You have no idea what it truly means!"

"_I'm going to shut that mouth of yours up!_" the Cobra Fangire hissed. "_Once I'm King, I'll put Fangires where they should be; at the top! Humans are cattle and they should be treated as such. They're just food!_"

"You really need better lines," Decade sighed, pulling out another card. "Take this!"

"**Attack Ride: Blast!**"

Several rounds of red energy cut through the air and impacted against the Fangire's hide, knocking him over with a shower of sparks. Grunting, the stained glass monster blinked the dust from his eyes to see the Anti-Crosser still on the ground. Grabbing it, he hauled himself to his feet before making a dash towards the Nega-Powered. Leaping into the driver's seat, he inserted the blade into the deeper mechanisms before looking at the two Riders, "_You don't think I deserve to be King eh? Well, let me prove you wrong!_"

Twisting the Anti-Crosser, the Nega-Powered began to transform. Its tank treads retracted into the machine, being replaced by rockets while the pilot seat began to shift to the centre of the machine. The entire apparatus began to rise into the air with the centre lowering to the floor. Hidden inside the machine, two spindly arms emerged, tipped with hooks while the Nega-Powered's head lowered slightly to fit in the centre of its new body. With a beastly roar, the new machine was finished changing.

"A Cyber-Sabbat!" Kiva cried out.

"Looks like it," Decade gulped.

The robotic demon unleashed a roar before shooting a massive fireball at the pair. They leaped to avoid it and managed it, but the concussive force from the explosion sent both of them sailing out of the warehouse and tumbling across the ground. Before they could even get their sense back, the robotic Sabbat emerged from the warehouse....more like brought the place down around it, but it managed to get out. Coughing and waving dust from their faces, the two Riders watched as the Cyber Sabbat rose into the air, it's mouth glowing as it powered another blast.

"I don't think we can dodge this one," Kiva remarked as he watched the fireball grow. "I think he plans to take out the whole district with us!"

"Then we'll have to shoot him down first," Decade frowned. Grabbing the Ride Booker, he pulled out one of his new cards before opening the device and tossing it inside, shutting it for the activation.

"**Final Form Ride: Ki-Ki-Ki-Kiva!"**

"Hey, this might tickle a little," Decade warned his Kiva World counterpart, stepping behind him.

"Huh?" Kiva blinked but then grunted as Decade put his hands behind his back and spread them apart. A huge Kivat-like face appeared on his face. He then hovered before he turned upside down and did a split. The Kivat face on his back spread wings that covered his legs. His head sank into his body while his collar became a handle and a holding handle emerged from his chest. Finally, an arrow that had what appeared to be his chained boot as the arrowhead sprung out. Kamen rider Kiva had been successfully changed into the Kiva Arrow.

Decade grabbed hold of the Kiva Arrow while Kiva asked, "_What is this?_"

"Our new power," said Decade as he held up the Final Attack Ride card. Looking up at the Cyber Sabbat, he saw the fireball leave the monster's mouth and leave a smoking trail as it began it's descent towards the ground, directly on top of them. "Get ready, Kiva!"

"**Final Attack Ride: Ki-Ki-Ki-Kiva!"**

Decade took aim and pulled the handle. The resistance was crazy on the weapon, but Decade's natural strength added on to what the armor already gave made it possible for him to pull the handle back. This caused the wings to pull back and the chained arrowhead to glow before the chains shattered and it opened to reveal crimson wings and green gems identical to the inside of Kiva's chained boot.

"KIVATTE IKUZE!"

Decade let go and the wings snapped. The arrow fired a crimson energy bolt that raced through the air straight towards its target. The fireball hit it straight on and exploded as the beam of energy cut through the air. The Cyber-Sabbat screeched and attempted to move, but was far too slow to do anything as the energy arrow struck. The beam cut through its armor like tissue paper, completely gutting the inside. At the same time, the Cobra Fangire was struck, immediately shattering him like…a stained glass window. The Cyber-Sabbat gave off a final groan before exploding in the air, making a shockwave Decade could feel from where he was.

"Well, that took care of him," Decade nodded, tossing the Kiva Arrow up before it shifted and transformed back into Kiva, letting him land on the ground.

"I think that was the second weirdest thing that ever happened to me," Kiva shivered.

"You aren't the only one I did that to," Decade shrugged. Suddenly, he stiffened as if he was hit by freezing cold water. "Say…where'd Diend go? He had the kids last I saw."

"Huh?" Kiva blinked before he looked around, panic growing in his chest. "Oh crap! He does have the boys! We've gotta find him!"

"Come on!" Decade cried, racing for the bikes.

-TIME BREAK

**Castle Doran**

There was no need to worry about the boys. As Kasumi was comforting Maya, they heard a knock at the door. Kasumi left Maya momentarily to open the door and gasped in surprise to see Wataru and Taiga inside a bassinet with a note. One that Kasumi decided to read for the residents as Maya went into relieved tears as she hugged her two sons closely.

_Dear residents of Doran_

_I picked up these two treasures while I was walking down the docks today. I think you people have been looking for them and far be it from me to do a good deed when the time calls for it. Enjoy._

_Oh, I won't be keeping the Zanvat Sword either. I found an even more precious treasure in this world but regretfully, I can't take it with me. Tell the Arms Monsters I apologize for kicking their butts so badly, but I really didn't have much of a choice._

_Your friend_

_Diend_

"I'm gonna kill that little snot when I see him again," Jiro growled angrily.

"There's more," Kasumi reported. "P.S. Decade-kun and Kiva-kun probably don't know that I returned the bouncing baby boys so don't panic too much when they come racing inside screaming bloody murder about something."

"Well, that solves one mystery before it begins," Yuri chuckled softly.

SLAM!

The doors to Doran's main hall slammed open as both Ranma and Ranma-Kiva burst inside, both yelling at the same time, "Theyboysaregone! Theboysaregone!" It certainly gave poor Wataru and Taiga a scare as they began crying loudly. Maya immediately reacted and rounded on the two boys, scolding them for scaring her babies after they had such a trying day and just needed to be home with their mother before any other kind of excitement could take place. Both Ranmas were immediately placed in seiza position as punishment for scaring her boys.

Everyone save for the duo found it hilarious. Even Kasumi had a fit of giggles at the sight.

-TIME BREAK-

Eventually the two Ranmas were allowed to get up again, saving themselves from starvation since Riki had brought out dinner for everyone. Both Ranmas began going with gusto at each others' plate as per the usual. Everyone else was eating like regular people save for Maya who kept stealing glances at her sons' new crib, making sure that they were both there and sleeping soundly. As far as celebrations went, it was kind of small but considering there were two sleeping children in the room at the same time, it was rather understandable. Eventually, everyone had their fill and decided to take a seat near the fireplace and enjoy some conversation.

"Man that was good," Ranam grinned, patting his stomach. "You really know how to cook Riki!"

"Several…lifetime's…experience," the Franken disguised as a human grinned.

"It might have tasted better if you guys ate like human beings instead of fighting over it," Yuri commented.

"Saotome Anything Goes Dinner Table Combat." Ranma-Kiva announced solemnly as if he were a wise man. "One must protect their plate or else they will lose the feast they had been blessed with."

"Pops did always have a way with words," Ranma snickered. "He made it sound like training but honestly he was never satisfied with what dinner he got so he tried to steal mine too."

"It seems Mr. Saotome never changes no matter where we go," Kasumi giggled.

"Truer words have never been spoken," Ranma nodded, just enjoying the upbeat atmosphere that everyone was taking part in, even the grumpy Jiro. Sighing, he looked to his counterpart. "You know, I really have to admit that you taught me something for the day I was here."

"Oh yeah?" asked Ranma-Kiva. "What?"

"A little about honour and responsibility I guess," Ranma shrugged. "I mean, when Maya hired you as her bodyguard you really put yourself in it. From what I understand you didn't even blink twice about the fiancées coming after you trying to figure out where you were so they could woo you. Heck, you even use the honour code to dismiss the engagements personally despite what everyone else says."

"For good reason," Ranma-Kiva nodded. "Well, you know how we've ended up having to protect people in our pasts right?" Seeing Ranma's nod, he continued. "Well, like I said before, Wataru and Taiga can't defend themselves like the folks we've had to look out for in the past can. They are one-hundred percent dependant on me. It is…the most crushing yet uplifting experience I have ever felt. When I help Maya with them when it comes to feeding, changing diapers, or keeping them safe…just seeing them smile lets me know that it was all worth it. Akane, other girls I helped save or protect usually say some smug remark or try to forget it happens before it goes back to the daily grind again. Not after seeing Wataru and Taiga smile like they do."

"Woah," Ranma blinked.

"I also learned a lot about honour too," Ranma-Kiva continued. "It's not just about following traditional rules and such, but its also about doing the right things, acting respectfully, keeping your promises, and just being a good person in general. Sure there's a responsibility to the family since they provide a lot, but the family also has a responsibility to you. After I moved into Doran, I began reminding the fiancées and rivals about that code when they would get into one of their snits over who deserved to have me most. Some of them actually back down when you bring honour into question, but others like Mousse and Shampoo just get mad and try to hit me. I guess their code is different from ours."

"No kidding," Ranma shuddered, remembering the Amazon 'obstacles ore for killing' which caused him no end of grief. "I always thought that I was the responsible type of person you know? Well, at least more responsible than Pop anyway. Hearing you speak though, it sounds like I never really had sole responsibility over anything. I mean, when I protect someone they are usually able to take care of themselves to an extent, the supposed engagements I was in I never really took seriously…"

"All things considered no one really would when they're made by someone like Pop," Ranma-Kiva commented.

"And half the things I help deal with were in fact thrust on my by someone else who didn't want responsibility," Ranma chuckled. "I always figured I was an honourable type of guy, but again you seemed to prove otherwise. You really stick to doing the right thing through thick and thin but me, I seem to fold to Pop's demands since it gets me more approval more than being right."

"After being isolated with Pops for so long with his lazy attitude of calling us weak and girly, we both needed someone to tell us we were good, that we had their approval," Ranma-Kiva nodded. "All of the fiancées and rivals didn't help since they continued to send out insults or chase us like a damn trophy, as if our only purpose was to be a house husband of some kind while they made their own dreams come true. Not a lot of space for gratification."

"Wow. When did you become a psychologist?" asked Ranma in surprise.

"Ah, Maya told me the same thing after I moved into Doran," Ranma-Kiva shrugged with a grin. "She caught me muttering about Pop one night and how I wanted to be better than him in more than just martial arts. Our discussion landed on the same areas you were talking about."

"Go figure," Ranma nodded.

Talking a little bit more, the two Ranmas were interrupted by Ramon who was skipping towards them, "Ne, ne, ne! Ranma! Look at what we found," the excited Merman held up what appeared to be a shard of glass, but in truth was an enchanted piece of glass that was with the Nanban Mirror. "Jiro found it in his pocket when he was trying to bring out extra cards to cheat with."

"Thanks," Ranma nodded as he took the shard. Looking over to Kasumi, he saw that she and Maya had noticed it as well. "Time to go."

"Oh my," Kasumi sighed. "Then we must at least take a picture before we leave." Raising her voice, she spoke so everyone could hear. Everyone, can we please get together for a photo?"

With some grumbling from Jiro, everyone quickly came together for a photo. Ranma and Ranma-Kiva took seats together on the middle of the sofa with Maya and Kasumi next to their respective Ranma. Maya had little Wataru in her lap while Kasumi held a happy Taiga. Behind the sofa, Jiro, Riki, and Ramon were standing together. Holding the camera itself was Yuri, backing away slightly so she could get everyone in the photo.

"Okay, smile!" Yuri called.

KACHAK!

KACHAK!

The Polaroid camera quickly spat out two photos. Taking them, Yuri handed one over to Kasumi while Maya took the other, allowing everyone to see what had developed. For the most part, the photo was quite normal, but just by moving it, Jiro, Riki, and Ramon would suddenly change between their human forms and their Mazoku forms. Also in the photo was an enlarged Kiva who was back to back with Decade, both of them had their arms crossed as they stood ready for any kind of threat.

"We'll keep this one," Kasumi smiled as she pocketed her photo. "Please keep the other one as a reminder of us."

"We will," Maya nodded. "So this is goodbye then."

"Yeah it is, but it was fun while it lasted," Ranma nodded, pulling out the Nanban Mirror. "Nice meeting all of you."

"Likewise," Ranma-Kiva nodded. "You take care of yourself."

"Will do," Ranma nodded as Kasumi took his arm. Holding up the shard, he brought it to the Mirror, letting it jump from his hands and make the reflective surface of the Mirror one piece larger. The surface of the Mirror flashed, revealing an armoured face which had a black helmet with a crest of gold horns on his head. His mouthpiece was silver with gold on the edges and seemed to be layered from the bottom going up. His eyes were round and red with a silver streak travelling to the back of the helmet which was based where his horns were. The Mirror's magic then came to life, blinding Ranma and Kasumi with a world of silver that made their eyes sting. As quickly as the light came, it ended again, leaving both travellers to blink as they tried to get some kind of idea as to where they were.

No longer were they in Castle Doran, but now they were on a walkway which rose above the street. It seemed to be downtown Tokyo again with no clues as to where they ended up. They didn't recognize the area nor did they recognize the face that had been in the Mirror before they were transported.

"Well, let's go," Ranma shrugged, walking in stride with Kasumi as they decided what to do next.

-**Elsewhere-**

"Ahhhhhhh!"

A man screamed for his life as he pressed himself against the wall of an alley in hopes that he could blend in or something as miraculous happening, but was only hoping in vain. Advancing towards him was a strange monster garbed completely in black with spiked shoulders. Its skin was pure black and even the loincloth it wore was black. Its head was covered by a helmet-like item which looked like an ant's head, leaving the bottom half of its face with clenched teeth revealed. The back of its neck was covered with black fabric which was attached to its helmet. The only cosmetic appearance that it had was the silver wing badge on the left side of its torso and the little black wings it had on its back.

Growling lowly, the creature raised its left arm to near its collarbone and extended its middle and index fingers, slowly dragging them down to the level where its heart would be. It then dragged the middle and index fingers across its hand back and forth before dropping them. The creature was still for a moment, making the man hope that it was considering giving up. However, that hope died a quick death when the monster began advancing again.

The man was about to scream as loudly as he could in hopes that it would save him from death when the monster was suddenly halted by a light which flooded the alley, giving pause to the monster. Turning around, it tried to see what was making the light and stiffened when it came in the form of a man, letting the light die down.

He was clad in a black bodysuit. His torso armor was mainly black at the sides and gold on the chest area with a black rectangular stone embedded in the middle. His shoulder pads were black with silver sidings which pointed up into spikes. Around his waist was a red belt which had a black oval centre with a yellow core which seemed as yellow as gold. His arms and legs were outfitted with bracers and shin guards that were gold and even had gold kneecaps. His helmet was black with red eyes and a silver mouthpiece which was layered with gold at its edges. Its eyes were also red with a crest of horns sticking from its head. The stranger took a stance as he silently challenged the monster.

"_Agito,_" the monster growled and began advancing on the armoured man, allowing its intended victim to flee for his life.

**To be Continued…**

Next Time on Journey Through the Decade

Ranma: So the police here actually try to do something about the monsters here.

Kasumi: I feel much safer already.

Agito: Unknown! Your killing spree ends!

????: For the sake of humanity, you must die.

????: Say hello to my little friend!

BOOM!!

A/N: Whew! That took forever! Thirty-two pages and over 24,000 words. I really hope you guys enjoy the completed Kiva world. To note, Fran Madaraki comes from a manga called Franken Fran which tells about her exploits in biologic science.

*Jinmen-Sou is called the human-faced wound. Generally, malignant tumours take the cues from genes in the body to create images on them reflecting the body, even facial ones hence the name. The case Howl talks about is a very extreme version and can be found in chapter 3 of Franken Fran.


	10. Growth of Agito

I do not own Kamen Rider nor do I own Ranma ½ or any other manga, anime, or whatever are mention in this fic. Any original characters I do own though. See if you can spot them.

Journey Through the Decade

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 10: Growth of Agito

Ranma and Kasumi were walking down the street in greater Tokyo, looking for a clue as to what kind of Rider World they had been sent to this time. However, they didn't have much of a clue beyond the face they had seen in the Nanban Mirror much like the other times. This Rider had red eyes and golden horns with a black helmet and that wasn't much of a clue. They didn't know what kind of Kaijin were populating this new world nor how this new Rider was fighting them.

"So, any ideas where we should look?" asked Ranma.

"Well, it's usually a good idea to see if the newspapers have anything," Kasumi pondered. "Maybe they'll have something. I mean, monsters going on rampages and such can't be that hard to notice. I'm sure someone had to have seen something about them."

"Worth a look I guess," Ranma nodded.

Both Nerima residents headed for the nearest store they could find, one being on the corner of the street with plenty of newspapers for sale. Selecting a few, they quickly paid for them and found a nice spot on a bench to begin reading. The information in the papers weren't what they were looking for, namely no mentions of monster attacks or anything remotely similar. However, the obituaries were much bigger than usual and filled with all sorts of strange deaths. Some of them were found in trees, died of freezer burn in open and warm areas, drowned in the middle of parks nowhere near water, some even looked like they had spontaneously combusted. All in all, very weird, but it didn't answer any of their questions about what monsters may be lurking in this new Rider World.

"Well, it was a good idea," Kasumi sighed.

"It was, but either the monsters are more secretive than usual or someone's covering them up," Ranma sighed, folding up his paper before stuffing it inside a recycling bin. "I guess our only chance is to keep searching and see what we can find."

The pair soon began their search again, hoping to find at least one clue as to what they needed to know. So far everything else was coming up in a bust and they were running out of ideas. Usually Ranma was able to track something or someone if he knew what they were. Kasumi just wasn't involved in the fighting arts in any way so she didn't know what they should do since the one inconspicuous idea they had didn't pan out. It wasn't like they could just go up and ask a police officer about what was going on. They were probably in the dark just as much as the people were.

Walking through an underpass, they began pondering their next movements. It was rather difficult to try and guess where monsters try to attack when they didn't know what the monsters were. Still, both teens decided to see what could be done as they travelled. However, as they were reaching the other side of the underpass, they were stopped when a young boy dressed in black shorts and a black long-sleeved shirt stepped out in front of them. The boy stepped directly in their path before stopping and staring at them.

"Huh?" Ranma blinked.

"Little boy, are you lost?" asked Kasumi.

The boy continued to stare at the pair before he finally spoke, "Decade. You don't belong on my world. Leave now or I will eliminate you."

"…what?" Ranma blinked in shock. "And just who do you think you are, telling me what to do?"

The boy didn't answer and just frowned. As Ranma was about to step forward to try and get some answers, heavy breathing began to sound from behind him and Kasumi. Turning, he spotted two new creatures advancing down the tunnel. The first was humanoid, but with a hornet or wasp motif. Its head was covered in a wasp-like helmet with large black eyes and moving pincers. Its mouth was visible with silver teeth and pale skin. Its chest was covered in leather armor and wore a leather kilt like the Romans would. Both pieces had gold designs on it. Its skin was orange and had a black and orange design on the hands and thighs. Small insect wings could be seen being blown on its back along with two strips of white cloth in its shoulders. What couldn't be seen were the small shrivelled bird-like wings which were on it's back. On the left side of its chest was a gold wing badge.

The second creature was bee-like as well, but had a more honeybee-like look to it. Its helmet was a bee's with pale skin and a ladylike mouth. Its chest was covered in white leather armor which covered a female's chest and wore a white leather skirt. Like her comrade, she also had orange skin and insect-like wings along with small bird-like wings on her back. Two sheets of white cloth hung from her shoulders. Unlike her comrade, she had white fur on her shoulders, her collar, her arms, her elbows, and her knees. On the left side of her chest, she also wore a badge which was made of gold and looked like a bird's wing. In all, she was the day where her comrade was the night, balancing each other out.

"Kid, you've got to," Ranma called, turning back to the child, but saw that he was gone. "…run?"

"Ranma!" Kasumi cried, watching the two bee monsters approach slowly.

"Dammit," Ranma frowned, turning to approach the two monsters. Pulling out his Decadriver, he strapped it across his waist and drew his Decade card. "Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!**"

The monotone armor formed out of the ghostly suits that converged onto his body before the crimson panels flew from his belt and fitted to his helmet's faceplate, filling him up with his signature color. Drawing the Ride Booker and converting it to Sword Mode, Kamen Rider Decade ran his hand up the blade before confronting the two creatures. "Kasumi, find cover," he told his companion who nodded before running off to hide so that she wouldn't get in the way.

The two creatures known as Unknown by the police but known as Lords by their creator attacked Decade in a fury. If he was being told correctly by the armor, the male was knows as Apis Vespa while the female was Apis Mellitus, both part of the Air Tribe of Lords. They struck at him with their claws but Decade managed to dodge before striking them with his sword. Drawing a card, Decade converted his weapon into Gun Mode before slotting it into his belt.

"**Attack Ride: Blast!"**

Rapidly fired crimson energy bolts shot out of his gun and rained down on his opponents, causing them to stagger. Decade then reconverted his weapon back to Sword Mode and activated another card.

"**Attack Ride: Slash!"**

With the blade glowing, he swung, leaving after-images of the blade with each swing. Sparks flew as his weapon connected with both Unknown, sending them reeling. He then sent them tumbling to the ground with a sweep kick. However, it wasn't nearly enough to suggest to their minds that they stay down. Instead, they picked themselves up and knocked Decade off his feet with shoulder tackles.

The two Lords then aimed their fingers at Decade before unleashing volleys of stingers at him. Decade cried out as he was assaulted by the needles, making sparks come off his armor before quickly rising to his feet. The two Unknown recovered, but then glowing halos appeared above their heads. Reaching to the light, the two Kaijin pulled long rapiers from the halos which had wing-like guards on them. Weapons ready, they charged at Decade, swinging their weapons at him. Decade did his best to parry their blows but they were fast and as they worked together, Decade had trouble trying to avoid all of their attacks.

Using a kick to push one back and stunning another with a slash, Decade took out a card and put it in his belt. "Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Kiva!"**

Decade's armor turned to quicksilver before shattering, revealing him as the warrior, Kamen Rider Kiva. Like the other suits, the belt remained the same, but that suited D-Kiva just fine. He needed some extra firepower against these two and he knew where to get it. Reaching to his belt, he opened the Decadriver before drawing another new card and slid it in.

"**Form Ride: Kiva Garuru!**"

Chains wrapped around D-Kiva's chest and left arm before shattering, revealing the cobalt blue armor of the new mode. His eyes turned from yellow to blue as a mass of red pixels flew from the Decadriver before landing in D-Kiva's hands, forming into the Garuru Saber. The Ride Booker may have had more options, but the Garuru Saber was a sturdier blade and more powerful. Snarling, D-Kiva lunged forward, slashing at the two Lords wildly. The Garuru Saber clashed against their Purgatorial Needles, but the two Bee Lords were finding that the sword had a strength advantage over them. D-Kiva slashed again, catching them both in the torsos, making them stumble away. The two then looked at D-Kiva advancing before looking to each other. Nodding, they leaped into the air, they small insect wings beginning to buzz before they began to fly.

"What?" D-Kiva gasped.

The two Unknown had taken to the sky, staring down at D-Kiva as if he were an insect of some sort. Both raised their free hands before pointing at him, unleashing more of their little stingers. D-Kiva blocked the oncoming attacks from hitting his vitals, but they still hurt. Grunting from the exertion, D-Kiva was forced back several steps. Looking up to the Lords, he saw them beginning to fly in all directions, shooting stingers at him much to his chagrin.

"Ow!" D-Kiva cried, tasking another hit. "Dammit! Garuru's no good here!" Grabbing the Rider Booker, he opened it again to grab another card from the Kiva series. Claiming the card, he tossed it into the Decadriver before shutting it.

"**Form Ride: Kiva Bashaa!**"

Chains wrapped around Kiva's arms and torso, returning his cobalt arm to normal, but covering his right arm with emerald green armor with fins. His torso likewise turned green with a fish motif before his eyes turned green. The Garuru Sabre then leaped from his hands and changed back into red pixels before going to D-Kiva's right hand, transforming into the Bashaa Magnum. Gripping his new weapon, D-Kiva aimed up at the Lords, and began shooting water bullets. The bullets left holes in the concrete walls, sending shards of it tumbling to the ground. However, D-Kiva wasn't one to give or stay bad at something. Narrowing his eyes, he suddenly swerved his position and let loose a barrage of water bullets. To the observer it would seem that he wasn't trying, but as the bullets were flying, the two Lords who had been flying around D-Kiva suddenly found themselves in the bullets' path. The bullets collided with the two Lords, sending them to the dirt as if they were dead weight.

"No more fooling around," D-Kiva frowned as he advanced on the Lords. Drawing two cards, he slipped the first into his Decadriver.

"**Form Ride: Kiva Dogga!**"

Chains wrapped around D-Kiva again, this time changing his arms and torso into the bulky Dogga armor while his visor eyes turned purple. The Bashaa Magnum likewise turned into pixels again before growing and forming the Dogga Hammer. Still approaching the dazed Lords, he inserted the last card into his Decadriver.

"**Final Attack Ride: Ki-Ki-Ki-Kiva!**"

Purple electricity sparked from D-Kiva's armor, concentrating into the Dogga Hammer. Raising the item up, more purple electricity sparks from the weapon before a massive hand shaped like the hammer's head grew from the weapon, shining a bright purple. Steadying himself, D-Kiva gave a mighty swing in which the Phantom Fist followed, hurtling through the air. Apis Vespa looked up and saw the incoming fist before shielding himself. The first didn't even slow down before colliding with the Bee Lord, knocking him into his female counterpart and sending both flying through the air before crashing outside the underpass.

Apis Vespa seemed to begin choking on his own saliva, struggling to stand up again. The halo which he had drawn his weapon from flared to life, but it was showing various intensity of light as Vespa continued to struggle. Getting to his knees, Vespa looked to the sky, unleashing a horrible screech before the halo shattered and his body exploded into heat and flames, leaving little in terms of remains behind, if anything.

Through the flames of the Apis Vespa's death, the Apis Mellitus soared through as she took to the air. Snarling down at D-Kiva, she noticed movement to the side. The female Unknown looked towards the source and spotted Kasumi peeking out from behind the underpass wall. Mellitus' master had deemed her an outsider to the world and thus marked for termination. Knowing that she couldn't defeat Decade at the moment, she deemed to accomplish at least part of her mission. Raising her Purgatorial Needle, she charged towards the unarmed human.

"Kasumi!" D-Kiva cried, attempting to stop the Bee Lord, but the Dogga armor was hindering him.

"Eyaaaahhh!" Kasumi screamed, watching the Vepis Mellitus speed towards her, intent on her death.

Before Mellitus could strike, a red and gold blur sped into the tunnel, narrowly missing D-Kiva and colliding with the Bee Lord before it could strike Kasumi. The Unknown was sent flying, landing hard on the asphalt while the blue was revealing to be a red and gold motorcycle with an armoured Rider on it. Dismounting, the figure stood in all of his glory.

He was clad in a black bodysuit. His torso armor was mainly black at the sides with silver at the base and gold on the chest area with a black rectangular stone embedded in the middle. His shoulder pads were black with silver sidings which pointed up into spikes. Around his waist was a red belt which had a black oval centre with a yellow core which seemed as yellow as gold. His arms and legs were outfitted with bracers and shin guards that were gold and even had gold kneecaps. His helmet was black with red eyes and a silver mouthpiece which was layered with gold at its edges. His eyes were also red with a crest of horns sticking from his head.

"Agito!" D-Kiva gasped as he got a good look at the new Kamen Rider.

(Beginning Kamen Rider Agito opening)

**Yami no naka mitsumete 'ru... **

**Te wo nobashi...**** Tsukamitore Kimi motomeru mono**

Mellitus managed to get back to her feet and eyed Agito in the underpass. Snarling angrily, she charged at the gold Kamen Rider, intent on destroying him since he was a living taboo in the eyes of her master. Once close enough, she slashed at him, aiming for his neck. Agito managed to take it in stride, dodging around the attacks before unleashing a powerful side kick which knocked the Unknown away with a loud grunting noise.

Getting her breath back, the Bee Lord charged again.

**Mata dare ka ga heiki na kao wo shite**

**Yume da to waratte mo...**

Agito swerved and ducked underneath the blows like a professional. At the same time, he was treating the gaps in the Bee Lord's defence like revolving doors, dealing blow after blow into the Kaijin's abdomen, chest, and face. A final kick launched the Lords away again, giving Agito some space. Reaching down to his belt, he slapped a button on the right side, causing the yellow centre to turn bright red with a second red light next to it. Agito's whole body shimmered in light before he transformed again, this time his chest had turned crimson red and red armor was covering his right arm. His right shoulder had turned red while the silver decoration had turned gold and with a larger spike. He then brought his right hand to his belt, which flashed red again before a handle emerged from the light. Pulling on the handle, Agito drew a sword with a hilt in the same shape as his horns, completing his Flame Form.

**Ready to Go, Count ZERO Kamen Raidaa AGITO**

**Kimi no mama de kawareba ii**

**Here we go, Count ZERO Kamen Raidaa AGITO**

**Ima kimi ga inai to... Get on!**

Mellitus seethed in anger before charging again, this time meeting blade to blade against Agito. The two were in a stalemate for a moment as their swords scraped against each other, but Mellitus struck first by punching Agito in the stomach, making him back away to get his breath back. The Bee Lord wasn't giving him the chance though as she began slashing wildly to try and end Agito's existence and complete one of the objectives in her mission.

Agito continued to duck and evade the strikes while blocking a few more. He was having trouble getting his breath back since the Unknown wasn't allowing him to get steady and regain his rhythm in the fight. It wasn't looking good at the moment.

**Atarashii hokori ni wa...**

**Atarashii... itami sae tomonau darou**

Knowing that she had the advantage, Mellitus charged, wanting to keep Agito off balance so that she could end him once and for all. Gripping her weapon, she slashed, aiming for a killing blow. Seeing it coming, Agito firmly planted his foot on the ground and managed to block the blow. Looking to the Lord, he pressed forward and used a shoulder check to knock the Bee Lord back. With the roles suitable reversed, Agito went on the attack, slashing with his blade and striking the Unknown in several spots on the torso, making a rain of sparks on the armor and slicing open bloodless wounds along its skin. Grunting, he kicked the Bee Lord in the torso, knocking her away.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to win!" Agito teased as he advanced.

**Sono dare mo ga akiramesou na**

**Nani ka ni tachiagaru**

The Bee Lord only got angrier as she continued to fight against Agito. However, it was quickly becoming a losing battle for her with Agito already in his battle rhythm again and with his reflexes as sharp as ever. Hissing in anger, the Bee Lord decided that if she wasn't able to win the battle on the ground, then she was going to win it through the air. Leaping up, her insect wings activated and she took flight. After all, Agito didn't have projectile weapons like Decade did.

**Ready to Go, Count ZERO Kamen Raidaa AGITO**

**Mite 'ru dake no kimi de ii kai?**

**Here we go, Count ZERO Kamen Raidaa AGITO**

**Ima kimi ga inai to... Get on!**

The Bee Lord buzzed through the air before shooting more of her projectile stingers from her hands. Agito did his best to deflect the attacks, but a few still managed to get through and strike him, messing up his timing and allowing more of the stingers to hit him. One such stinger managed to hit Agito in the leg, making him drop to his knee since he couldn't support his body weight on his leg anymore. Grunting and doing his best to ignore the pain, he looked up to see the Bee Lord coming around again, this time with her sword reading to pierce his heart.

"I don't think so," Agito frowned, gripping his sword. As he did, there was a metallic sliding noise as two sets of horns extended from the hilt.

**Ready to Go, Count ZERO Kamen Raidaa AGITO**

**Kimi no mama de kawareba ii**

**Here we go, Count ZERO Kamen Raidaa AGITO**

**Ima kimi ga inai to... Get on!**

The Bee Lord came swooping down, ready to pierce Agito's heart now that she thought he was crippled. Pointing her sword out, she could almost envision the death of Agtio. However, that was when Agito leaped forward with his sword raised as if for an overhead cut. However, before he could attempt to cut, gravity took hold and Agito began to go down. Hoever, the blade was still high and ready to cut. The Unknown's eyes widened, but could not stop herself as she slammed into the sword, cut through like butter thanks to her speed. Split down the middle, her halo appeared for a moment before it broke and the body exploded into flames just like her companion.

Sighing, Agito stood up, limping slightly thanks to the wound on his leg, "Ohh, that's going to leave a mark."

"Hey, you okay?" asked D-Kiva, dismissing his armor and returning to Decade.

"Just a scratch," Agito sighed, trying to walk the injury off. "I'll be-ow-fine. What about your friend?"

"I'm fine," Kasumi answered, reaching Agito's side so she could see his leg. "But your leg doesn't seem fine. That needle might have dug in deeply. Do you think you could remove your armor so that I might be able to see if it's anything serious Agito-san?"

"Well...uh…," Agito gulped.

"It's fine," Decade urged his fellow Rider. "Kasumi's a whiz when it comes to patching up wounds. Nothing to worry about."

"Well…OK," Agito sighed, taking a deep breath. His belt began to shine again, forcing his two audience members to shield their eyes. The light was only strong for a second before it dimmed again. When the spots in their eyes cleared, they saw who was wearing the armor.

It was indeed Ranma Saotome, but this one like the others was different. He was wearing a plain T-shirt with some kind of modern culture design on it. His pants were loose and baggy with lots of pockets and perfect for holding things. He had modern sneakers on and even had a knapsack on which was strapped over his chest. Most noticeable of all, he didn't have the pigtail which Ranma Saotome was famous for, but instead had a ponytail. However, a worrisome aspect to him was the splotch of red on his leg which was getting bigger at a slow pace.

"Oh my!" Kasumi gasped, instantly pressing her hands against the spot, keeping pressure on the wound so not too much blood would be lost. "This might be serious. Is there a hospital or your house nearby?"

"Uhhh…my place is nearby," the ponytailed Ranma replied. "Just a short ride."

"Then we'll go with you," Decade nodded, removing his belt. His armor flashed and vanished, returning him to regular Ranma Saotome. Again, his clothes had changed. This time, he was in a pair of jeans with black sneakers and a black button-up shirt which was only tied up enough to be called closed but still show his muscles underneath. His hands were covered with combat gloves, perfect for hitting people with. "You're injured and riding might make it worse."

"W-wh-wha-?" Ranma-Agito gaped. "Wh-who are you?"

"Later," Kasumi sighed, helping Ranma-Agito to his feet. "We can answer your questions after we get you patched up."

"Right, gotcha," said Ranma-Agito. "I'm Ranma, by the way."

Kasumi blinked and Ranma was confused as well. Didn't Ranma-Agito know who Kasumi was? He was acting like he hadn't met her before. Granted there were differences to be expected when travelling to different dimensions, but a change as big as this was something that was unexpected. Living someplace besides the Tendo Dojo was minor, but not knowing who the Tendo's were was something which was very big.

"I'm Kasumi," the eldest Tendo smiled. "Now let's get you back to your house so we can treat that wound."

"Right," Ranma-Agito nodded, beginning to limp towards his bike, which was no longer red and gold, but rather a regular silver motorcycle. Mounting it with minor difficulty, he strapped his helmet on and revved the engine. "You guys have a lift?"

Ranma snickered before bringing his fingers to his lip and sounding off a sharp whistle. A revving engine replied before the form of the Machine Decader rolled into the tunnel and come to a stop in front of Ranma. Kasumi and Ranma both mounted it before looking to Ranma-Agito.

"Gina-san will want to see how you did that. Watch out," Ranma-Agito snickered before he put on his helmet and began to drive away. Ranma and Kasumi weren't too far behind.

Leaving the tunnel and the two blackened spots behind, no one seemed to be around. However, looks were always deceiving as someone calmly waltzed into the tunnel, tipping his baseball cap up by a single finger. The familiar face of Kaitoh grinned as he watched the three drive away, confident that they didn't notice him. "Agito, a very rare treasure. Too bad I can't bring him with me. Ah well. Luckily there's more than one treasure on this world waiting for me."

Grinning, Kaitoh readjusted his hat and slipped his hands in his pocket before walking out of the tunnel and away from the battlefield. He had a treasure to hunt and could not afford getting his attention swayed away from his prize.

The drive towards Ranma-Agito's home was a leisurely one. The Ranma who had been dubbed as 'Destroyer of Worlds' glanced at his counterpart of Agito world. There was definitely something different about him, which went farther than his appearance. It was his mannerism. Then again, the other Ranma Riders he'd met had matured and changed in their own ways after gaining their powers. Even the Ranma who called himself Kaitoh had confessed that he hadn't gone by the name 'Ranma' for a very long time. Even though the lives of his alternate selves had diverged one way or another, there were always several constants that were the same. Maybe this Ranma had grown up in a different environment.

Concerning the environment, those monsters who Ranma dubbed Unknown, who were also known as Lords, were the creatures plaguing this world. What did they want? What was their goal? It was obvious that they weren't mindless beasts. There had to be some history. If Ranma was to help save this world, he needed information. His armor may have told him what the monsters were, but it didn't tell them their motives in doing what they did. In the cases of Orphenochs, Worms, Mirror Monsters, and Fangires, it was rather obvious. For the Unknown, it was a different story.

Kasumi also couldn't help but glance at Ranma-Agito. There was something different about him. There was something he had that the other Ranmas didn't share, and she did not mean a different set of Rider powers. When she met all of the other Ranmas, she felt that she was in the presence of a fighter just like with the regular Ranma she knew. This new Ranma though, she didn't feel that. Oh she could tell he could fight if needed to, but he didn't have the presence of waiting for the next fight like the other Ranmas did. Well, once they reached his home, all would be revealed. Maybe the answers were there.

The trip took the trio to another part of the city which was getting progressively upper class as they went. Eventually they came to a stop at one house which had spacious property and an actual wall separating it from the neighbours I was two stories tall and had a lot of space for the people who lived in it. The house itself reminded Ranma of the Kuno mansion back when he had to get film of himself on top of Kodachi after a horde of girls chasing Happosai knocked him into her and she blackmailed him into having (drugged) dinner with her. The difference between the Kuno mansion and this one though was the brighter impression that it gave and the friendlier outlook. Both the Kuno mansion and this house appeared the same, but a world of difference was in the impressions.

"Oh my," Kasumi gasped as the two motorcycles came to a stop.

"You…live here?" Ranma blinked.

"Yep. It's been home for as long as I could remember," Ranma-Agito answered as he removed his helmet. "Although that doesn't mean too much."

"Huh?" Ranma blinked, looking to his counterpart.

"Ow, ow, ow," Ranma-Agito grimaced as he got off his bike, the blood stain on his pants even bigger than before. "Hope Gina-san has the medical stuff in her lab ready."

"Gina? Lab?" Ranma blinked, heading over to his counterpart to assist him in walking.

Ranma-Agito didn't answer as he, Ranma, and Kasumi reached the front door. Ranma and Kasumi were tempted to knock as politeness demanded, but Ranma-Agito had already opened the door and was trying to get in. That alone snapped Ranma out of his stupor and he helped bring his counterpart inside. Kasumi was close behind, keeping an eye on the wound which was leaving an awful mess on Ranma-Agito's nice pants. Blood stains were just awful to get out.

"Tadaima!" Ranma-Agito shouted loudly so that he could be heard be anyone.

"You don't have to shout so loud Ranma I was right-" a new voice spoke, revealing a literally bronze-skinned young woman with blonde hair and horns sticking out of her head as she walked into the entry hall and spotted Ranma-Agito's leg along with his two guests. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" Promptly ignoring the two other people, she dashed over to Ranma-Agito to see if the blood was fresh or not.

"Been worse, but I could be better," Ranma-Agito grimaced. "Do you think you can help me with the medical stuff Genn? Or is Gina free from her experiments to help me out."

"She and Dao are working on routine stuff, we'll get you to the lab right away!" the newly dubbed Genn nodded as she began taking Ranma-Agito deeper into the house.

As the strange woman Genn seemed to ignore Ranma and Kasumi in favour of the injured Ranma-Agito, the sounds of footsteps announced someone new coming. Entering entry hall from an adjacent hall was another woman, this one probably past her prime, if only slightly. She was rather tall and had long red hair which had faded slightly with age. She was trim and muscled though and had a fighter's physique. She was wiping her hands with a towel, having been busy with something involving her hands as she spotted Genn and Ranma-Agito approaching.

"Welcome back Ranma," the woman spoke with a definite American accent. "I see you weren't just out for a simple drive."

"Couldn't be helped Julia-san," Ranma-Agito grimaced.

"Better take him to the infirmary Genn," the woman named Julia sighed. Her eyes shifted to the front door where she spotted Ranma and Kasumi. Her eyebrow shot up in curiosity and her stance stiffened as if anticipating an attack, but she didn't make any threatening moves. "I'll talk to our guests."

"Guests?" Genn blinked before she looked back to the two she had promptly ignored before her eyes widened. "Woah! Is that-?"

"The infirmary, Genn," Julia sad sternly, snapping Genn's attention back to Ranma-Agito. The bronze-skinned girl flushed before helping Ranma-Agito limp into the house. With the two on their way, Julia approached Ranma and Kasumi with a critical eye. Ranma could tell she was seeing if they were threats in any way and no doubt she could see that he was a fighter and not the average one either. "Can I assume that you know what happened to Ranma?"

"We didn't do it!" Ranma answered quickly. "It was one of the Unknown."

Julia's gaze hardened, but no hostility was leaking out of her, just caution. "I assume it must have been a formidable one then. Ranma is usually not one to take injuries in a fight like that."

"There were two of them to begin with," Kasumi answered, taking Julia's attention. "Both of them looked kind of like bees. Ranma-kun…I mean the Ranma-kun in front of you managed to destroy the first one. However, the second one came after me but Agito-kun managed to stop it. It was able to fly and shot at him with very sharp stingers, one of which caught him in the leg. He managed to defeat it but he was wounded so we helped him back here to get treated."

"I see," Julia nodded, crossing her arms. "Now just who are you two and why does one of you look like a carbon copy of Ranma?"

"My name is Kasumi Tendo," Kasumi introduce.

"Name's Ranma Saotome," Ranma added, making Julia's eyebrows rise. "Sorry about this."

"Julia Brigand-Diggers," the woman introduced herself. "So, am I going to get an explanation?"

"It's a long story," said Ranma.

"I have time," said Julia. Her voice left no room for argument and her patience, while solid, wasn't going to last very long unless she got her answers.

So, Ranma told Julia about himself and Kasumi originating from a parallel world and also of the other parallel worlds, trying to keep it simple since it was a rather long and somewhat complicated story. Kasumi interjected a little, but Julia got the gist of it. There were other worlds and other versions of Ranmas that existed out there in the 'multiverse', each known as warriors called Kamen Riders. Ranma knew that this was the world of Kamen Rider Agito and that he had to do something in order to help this world's Rider.

"Quite the tale," Julia finally spoke after the tale was told.

"You believe us?" Kasumi asked.

"Well, not without concrete proof, but right now I see another Ranma so there could be some truth in your words," said Julia.

* * *

"_The Destroyer of Worlds has come."_

"_We must protect this world, no matter what."_

"_What about the Agito?"_

"_He and his kind shall be wiped out as well."_

_We must protect the world and humanity."_

_

* * *

_

**Diggers Residence**

Kasumi and Ranma were soon seated in the living room and told to wait by Julia while she went to get the other residents of the house. It was actually very humble compared to how fancy the house itself looked. A few decorations were placed around the room with some photos of the family through the years. The decorations were mostly western with a few eastern ones here and there. From the faces in the photos, either the residents were western like Julia was or had lived in the west for some time.

Soon enough, she returned with other people in tow. The first was Ranma-Agito wearing a pair of shorts with his thigh wrapped in bandages. Behind him was a blonde American girl in jeans and a pink sweater who wore glasses and was periodically staring at the Agito's butt whenever she could before she took a seat next to him on the couch. She seemed to be at least in her early twenties if not mid-twenties. With Julia was a man with white hair and a beard who wore a black suit of some kind and just reeked of magic in Ranma's senses and had a stern eye placed on him and Kasumi, no doubt determining if they were a threat or not. Genn was quickly in attendance with another blonde girl, this one taller with black spots in her hair and cat-like ears on her head. She took one look at Ranma before looking back at Ranma-Agito, wanting to be sure that there were two of them. Seeing it was true, she grinned almost sinisterly before she took a very close seat next to Ranma-Agito. Really, she probably should have just sat in his lap since she was going for as much bodily contact as she could. She looked to be about the same age as the blonde girl too.

"Where are Brittany and Stryyp?" asked Julia.

"They went shopping for something or other," the blonde with glasses answered. "She said she wanted to update her eastern wardrobe."

"Oh, right," Julia nodded, but the bearded man seemed to flinch. It reminded Ranma of how Mr. Tendo would flinch when Nabiki announced she splurged on herself, usually on something expensive she used the savings to get. Julia just continued speaking. "Now then, I'm sure Mr. Saotome and Ms. Tendo know Genn. The man next to me is my husband Dr. Theodore Diggers. The two girls sitting next to Ranma are our daughters Gina, who has the glasses, and Brianna, who has the black spots in her hair. My third daughter Brittany is out shopping with her husband at the moment."

"Pleased to meet you," Kasumi smiled.

"Uh…yeah. It's nice," Ranma nodded quickly, not liking the stern gazes he was getting from Dr. Diggers or the lustful looks Gina and Brianna were gazing at him with.

"Now can you please explain why you look exactly like Ranma and why he came home wounded?" asked Dr. Diggers. "I could read your mind to get the answer but that would be rather rude."

"I think we're all wondering that," Ranma-Agito nodded, not even once minding how close the girl dubbed Brianna was sitting to him.

"It's a long story…but I assume you all have time," Ranma sweatdropped.

"You bet we do," Gina nodded with a smirk.

Sighing, Ranma quickly began his explanation into his journey through dimensions and his stays in Kamen Rider Worlds. He explained why he was travelling and what he had done on each world he had been on since beginning. Each of the Diggers listened on with interest and Dr. Diggers was losing the hostility in his eyes and quickly began to look curious. If he really could read minds then he would probably know if he was telling the truth or not. Gina seemed particularly giddy at the idea of alternate dimensions and Brianna was looking thoughtful about all of the various pieces of tech that he had managed to see both technological and mystical since beginning his trip.

"Well Theo?" asked Julia as Ranma ended his explanation.

"His story is in fact very true," Dr. Diggers nodded. "He didn't lie about that. Alternate dimensions are also very real as well. Remember that Jade exists in a different dimension in itself. It isn't too hard to believe that in alternate universes exist alternate selves."

"Modern science has theorized it too," Gina nodded. "Quantum physics says it primarily.

"What bothers me is this idea that different universes are beginning to fuse together," Dr. Diggers frowned. "I don't know how that could possibly happen personally. I don't believe it's a natural occurrence though. If it is possible for something like this to happen like Mr. Saotome said, then someone is trying to fuse the worlds together. The only question that remains is why."

"You got me," Ranma shrugged. "I just know that if I do stop a world from succumbing to a major threat that the Rider there can't handle on their own, then it stops that worlds from merging. At least, I hope it does anyway."

"If the Riders are the points keeping those worlds from merging," Dr. Diggers nodded. "These events which could have destroyed them may not have been as random as they appeared."

"I was afraid of that," Ranma sighed.

Silence was dominant in the room for a moment, allowing Ranma some time to contemplate what that meant. However, the moment didn't last long before Genn decided that it had been quiet enough and wanted to voice a question, "So…if you're Ranma from another dimension, do you think you might be able to shed some light into our Ranma's past?"

"Huh?" Ranma blinked.

"Jinkies! I didn't even think of that!" Gina gasped.

"That's a good question!" Brianna nodded in agreement with her sister before she turned to Ranma. "Can you?"

"Uhhh," Ranma blinked. "Shouldn't you already know that?"

"Unfortunately we don't," Dr. Diggers sighed. "Not even our Ranma knows. He has no memory of his past whatsoever. All he remembers is the day we found him on the beach."

"Oh my!" Kasumi gasped.

"It threw us for a loop too," Julia nodded. "A day on the beach turned into a rescue operation…"

* * *

-FLASHBACK-

_The entire Diggers family was taking some time out of their busy schedules to enjoy some fun in the sun. Well, to be honest they weren't so busy in some cases. Genn really had nothing else to do and Gina had no leads on any kind of new archaeological discovery yet. Brianna was due for some time outside since she had been working on so many of her peebos and Brittany was bored out of her mind since she wasn't allowed to go shopping since her last spree emptied a store and put a huge dent on Theo's charge account._

_They had received a large fruit basket of thanks from the happy store owner though._

"_It's nice to have us all together like this instead of being off on some adventure or another," Julia smiled. She hadn't been able to enjoy times like this with her family for a long time. Not after the Lich King hit her with that spell that exiled her to Jade with only one day a year to be able to enjoy with her family. Warrior she may have been to have been able to tough it out, but she was still a mother and missed a lot of her children's lives._

_"I agree," Theo smiled. While he did get to enjoy seeing his daughters grow, he missed sharing it with his wife and having her during times like this was always a blessing. Settling in to enjoy some peace and relaxation for a change, Theo almost felt like taking a nap._

"_Mom! Dad! Come quick!" Gina's voice rang out with urgency._

_Theo and Julia were up in a flash and were dashing over to where their daughters were at the shoreline, their relaxation all but forgotten in the fact of a possible new threat. Their worries over some attacker was quickly forgotten when instead they saw that their three daughters were dragging a soggy young woman in Chinese clothes and red hair away from the shoreline. She was coughing and spitting out a good amount of water. She looked like she had been in the water for a few hours and was absolutely exhausted. Needless to say, she looked to be in very poor shape._

"_Where did you find her?" asked Julia while Theo began to scan for injuries with his magic._

"_I spotted her being brought in by the tide. Gina performed CPR to get her breathing again," Brianna answered._

"_She's awake," Theo reported as he spotted the girl's blue eyes watching him blearily. "Are you okay? What's your name?"_

"_R-Ranma," the soggy redhead answered. "Sorry 'bout this."_

-END FLASHBACK-

* * *

"That was just the beginning too," Gina nodded. "When Ranma finally woke up and went to have a bath, he freaked when he suddenly changed from a busty redhead into a hunky guy!" The slightly dazed look in her eyes from the memory would have been funny if both Ranmas weren't blushing from the implication that they were involved in a daydream of some sort with her. Ranma-Agito had practical experience in knowing how Gina's head worked while Ranma had seen Shampoo and Kodachi with that look in their eyes more than enough times.

"Jusenkyo strikes again," Ranma grimaced. Looking to his counterpart, he sighed, "I take it you figured out how to change back and forth?"

"Yeah. After Genn accidentally splashed me with a glass of cold water in the kitchen we figured it out…after trial and error," Ranma-Agito nodded before he glanced at Gina who was still in her own little world of hunky Ranmas. "We thought I was a Raksasha like Genn for a while, but after Dr. Diggers saw it he said it was a curse I must have picked up from a place called Jusenkyo. It's out in China and filled with hundreds of spring-fed pools and…"

"…when someone falls into one, they turn into what drowned in their last," Ranma nodded. "I know. I fell into the Spring of Drowned Girl too. We have the same curse."

"So you do have common experiences then," Theo nodded. "Do you think you could shed some light onto our Ranma's life by any chance?"

"Well, my other counterparts seemed to have an identical life to mine up until the failed wedding," Ranma shrugged, not noticing Gina and Brianna blinking at the mention of a wedding. "If the trend is the same then I think I can tell you exactly what your Ranma's life was like before he got tossed into the ocean."

"Could you please?" asked Ranma-Agito. "I just want to know what I may have been like before I lost my memory."

"You asked for it," Ranma nodded…and then he started speaking.

* * *

"_Where is the Destroyer of Worlds now?"_

"_He is with the Agito and the unnaturals."_

"_The unnatural barrier keeps us from entering."_

"_How will we get them now?"_

"_New agents whom one of our Lords has summoned will be able to break through."_

_Good. The Overlord shall be pleased."_

_

* * *

_

Ranma did not hold anything back. He explained the entire training trip which lasted ten years, Jusenkyo, and all of the crazies which lived in Nerima. He explained the engagements carelessly made by his greedy and stupid father, the fiancées who were too stubborn to learn when to quit and the rivals who were too stupid to realize that they blew any chance they had with those girls long before he had entered the picture. He talked about the insane challengers and the numerous plots to force him to marry one of said fiancées. All of it wrapped up with the failed wedding which the fathers were more or less blackmailing Ranma into going through with by threatening the Nannichaun, Spring of Drowned Boy, water.

Needless to say…the Diggers were not pleased.

"Oh…my God," Gina muttered blankly.

"That…that was the life I had?" Ranma-Agito blinked.

"Well, possibly," Ranma sighed. "It's a different dimension than mine so there might be variations or maybe none of it happened at all. I'm not sure."

"You are NOT going anywhere near Nerima!" Brianna cried, hugging Ranma-Agito tightly, her voice muffled since she was pressing her face into his shoulder.

"I'm inclined to agree," Theo frowned, glancing at the young man who his daughter was so attached to. "If you've lived a fraction of what Mr. Saotome has told us, it would be criminal to put you back there."

"They do not deserve the right to call themselves warriors," Julia growled. "They completely ignore the ideas of honour save when they can blackmail you and possibly our Ranma into doing what they want. I'm surprised you let them continue that for so long."

"Honour was pretty much the only thing I could ever call my own all my life," Ranma sighed, scratching the back of his head. "But…I've been learning a few things on this trip and I can say all the people in Nerima will be in for a surprise when I get back."

"You've gained experience," said Theo. "That's good. That'll make you stronger and better than they will ever be."

Ranma grinned at the praise and continued explaining some of the finer points of his own life which his Agito counterpart may have gone through. Still, as much as Kasumi wanted to continue chatting and helping Ranma-Agito know about what may have been his life before his accident, Ranma and herself were in this new world for a reason. Softly clearing her throat, she asked "Pardon me for suddenly changing the subject, but can you tell us anything about the Unknown? They seem so different compared to other monsters we've seen."

"Well, all I can say is they've been killing a lot of people," said Ranma-Agito, glad to not think about the chaos his old life might have been. "The strange thing is that they never do it directly. They just introduce something that ends up killing the person. I mean, some of them phase people through walls, drown them, sting them with something that makes them spontaneously combust, they never do it directly and it's been getting kind of rampant."

"I've been running my own investigation into the Unknown as well, but so far I've been getting very little even with the cooperation of the police," Theo nodded. His eyes were stern again as his thoughts crossed over on the Unknown. Obviously he was taking the situation seriously and didn't like the fact that they knew so little about such a large threat to the people.

"So you've probably seen what the police know about the Unknown, right?" asked Ranma.

"Yes, but it's not much," Theo answered. "As near as the authorities have been able to tell, whenever one of the Unknown kills someone, the relatives of that person are usually next. What is even odder is that aside from their targets, they don't kill anyone else. They won't hesitate in attacking people who get in their way, but they won't kill them. Many officers were wounded in the line of duty trying to fight these monsters off. Of course, if Ranma appears as Agito they suddenly forget about their targets or people trying to stop him and go after him instead."

"It's like I have a bulls-eye on my back in their eyes," Ranma-Agito nodded. "There's something about me that they don't like and they definitely try to take me out because of it."

"I've tried scanning for whatever power Ranma has to turn into Agito in my lab," Gina explained, already thinking of the nice images she got from that lengthy process. "Whatever it is, it's some kind of source of energy that causes the change inside of his body."

"And my own magical scans of both Ranma and what Unknown I have encountered during the investigation seems to reveal that their energies are direct opposites of one another," Theo added. "It might explain why the Unknown don't like him, but so far that's all it explains. We are just as much in the dark about where Ranma's abilities came from as we are about where the Unknown had come from."

"Nuts," Ranma muttered. Sighing, he decided to try and lighten the subject. "So, how did you and your family end up here in Japan, Dr. Diggers? I mean, no offence intended but you definitely aren't local."

"No offence taken," Theo smiled slightly. "You see, back in the United States I used to be part of a government team which dealt with supernatural threats and the like. Right now I'm officially retired but I do get caught up in adventures now and again," the good doctor cast his eyes at his two daughters who grinned cheekily while Julia just snickered. "Anyway, one of the higher ups with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police is a contact of my former employer Agent M and asked for assistance with the investigation into the strange deaths which were occurring here and after the first of the Unknown had been sighted. M recommended me so I decided to lend my expertise to the situation."

"We weren't about to let Dad go by himself either," Brianna added, still latching onto Ranma-Agito, but now it seemed she was in it for the full body contact rather than the emotional comfort such contact usually brought to the emotionally distressed. "So we all packed up and Agent M helped get us a place to work out of when we go there. I'd say it was a pretty swell deal since I got to meet my own muffin!" her grin was so catty it gave Ranma shivers.

"It pays to have friends in the right places," Gina smirked while rolling her eyes at her sister.

Smiling softly, both Julia and Theo seemed to become more relaxed, almost as much as their daughters and houseguests. It seemed that the two from another dimension really didn't mean any harm. Just the opposite really as it turned out. Still, they now knew that taking in their Ranma was a good choice if his life was anything like his counterpart's was. Honestly, being bartered like a possession by his father, encouraged to be a womanizing pervert just to make babies by his mother, fiancées who fought like rabid jackals over him and rivals who blamed him for their romantic failings. It made both elder Diggers wonder if Ranma hadn't thrown himself off a boat and hit his head in the water by accident in an attempt to kill himself. Well, if they had any say in it, their Ranma wasn't going to set foot in Nerima ever again!

"I'm home!" a new voice suddenly called, signalled by the sounds of the front door opening. It served to snap Julia and Theo out of their thoughts as the last missing members of their family finally returned.

"In the living room Brittany," Julia called out.

Walking into the room were two new people and they stood out above the others. The first was a woman who was tall, muscled, busty…and looked like a cat. Her fur was styled like that of a cheetah's and even her hair was yellow with black spots. In all, she looked like any guy's wet dream come to life. She wore tight shorts and a top which was strained against her boobs. In her arms was a near obscene amount of packages from numerous clothing and shoe stores, all of which looked pricey. The packages looked very heavy too, indicating that the girl was strong. Behind her and laid down with even more packages was a muscled man who was coloured similarly after a tiger. He had hair which reached his shoulders, giving him a slightly wild look. All of the packages he held were from women's clothing stores, indicating that he was filling the traditional role of baggage handler for his significant other.

"Ah, Ranma, I would like to introduce you to my daughter Brittany and her husband Stryyp Gia. She-" Theo began.

"CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTT!"

The delayed reaction to Ranma's intense fear of all things feline hit hard and fast. Unlike in Kiva world when he met Okita whom had the head of a human and the body of the cat which made the distinction of him not being a feline easier to believe, Brittany had no such buffer. She was a splendid fusion between feline and human along with her husband who was actually a Kryn rather than a cat but the resemblance was there. Because of this fusion, the line between 'cat' and 'not cat' in Ranma's mind was MIA and thus the fear took over to react. In this case, Ranma leaping into the air and dug his hands and feet into the ceiling, daring to hope that it was far enough away so the cats couldn't reach.

"What the-?" Brittany blinked, looking up at Ranma. "Ranma, what's wrong?"

"That's…not our Ranma," Gina weakly commented, although Brittany may not have heard her since she was partially mumbling thanks to her shock to the situation.

"Oh my, I hoped we wouldn't have to talk about this. Ranma hates being reminded about it," Kasumi frowned.

"Why's he freaking out about Brittany and Stryyp? They aren't dangerous or anything," Brianna asked with a frown. Brittany was so sensitive about how people viewed her sometimes and this probably wasn't going to help. Granted, she was mostly over it since those school days of being teased, but the reminder was still there.

"Oh it has nothing to do with them personally," Kasumi reassured the slowly recovering group. "He's just…terrified of cats."

"…could you repeat that?" asked Julia.

"He's terrified of cats," Kasumi repeated. "It's because of a technique called Neko-ken."

Ranma-Agito flinched. Something about the name of the technique made him remember…something.

Kasumi explained, "Ranma-kun's father subjugated him to the technique when he was a young child. First the trainee would be tied up with fish cakes and then tossed into a pit full of starving cats. This process is repeated until said trainee learns the technique or dies. Unfortunately…unfortunately Ranma's father didn't read the next page where there was a warning. It said that there was a HIGH chance that the trainee would suffer from an intense fear of cats soon after and that only a complete moron would try teaching the technique."

"KEEP THEM AWAY! KEEP THEM AWAY!" Ranma wailed.

"This might be a problem, since some of the Unknown look like humanoid cats," said Ranma-Agito, glancing up at his counterpart. Maybe it was for the best that he didn't remember his past if he had to go through things like what he was seeing.

"How could someone have possibly done that to their child?" Julia gasped in horror. She may have come from a warrior clan which was harsh in a lot of ways, but they never put a child through training as horrific as that! Anyone who tried would have faced severe punishment!

"Ranma's father would take any shortcut to avoid working hard in making Ranma the best martial artist of his generation," Kasumi sighed. "All so he could live off Ranma's hard work for the rest of his life.

"Uhh…do you think we could do something about the guy hanging off our ceiling now?" asked Britanny, now becoming even more confused at the situation. She had tried to approach, but the Ranma on the ceiling's shaking became that much fiercer so she backed off. "I'd do it but my hands are full and I think if I try he's going to snap or something."

"I have just the thing," Theo nodded. Standing up, he concentrated energy into his hands before sending a shower of it at Ranma. It impacted against him, but it didn't seem to put him into any pain. Instead, he simply fell unconscious and dropped to the floor with a thud. Dismissing the energy from his hands, Theo cast another spell, making Ranma float while he slept. "Let's get our guest to a room and wait for him to recover. I might have something which can help but I'll need to check it for any bad side effects first."

"Thank-you Dr. Diggers," Kasumi smiled.

Watching from the sidelines, Brittany and Stryyp could only watch with no small bit of confusion. Finally Brittany, being as outspoken as she was, just decided to voice her question, "So why the heck are there two Ranmas? Did we finally find one of his relatives or something?"

"Why don't you and Stryyp put your things away and I'll explain in the kitchen," Julia answered. "It's…a rather long story."

In a style eerily similar to her mother's Brittany's eyebrow rose as she spoke sternly. "I have time."

* * *

TIME BREAK

* * *

With Ranma put to bed until he could recover and Theo with his books to see if he was right about a treatment, it left Kasumi with Genn, Ranma-Agito, and the three Diggers girls for some girl-talk. Naturally, Genn and Ranma-Agito now Ranko were in female form, the Diggers sisters wanting to get as much gossip as they could. Julia was absent since she was practising outside to calm her mind and Stryyp was helping Dr. Diggers in the library, helping him search through the books. At the moment, all of the girls were in the living room, enjoying snacks Genn had been making before the arrival of Ranma and Kasumi.

"So, Brianna-san, I couldn't help but notice how attached you were to Agtio-kun," Kasumi commented with the slightest mischievous smile one could ever hold.

"He's my muffin!" Brianna grinned as she gazed at Ranko, making the redhead blush slightly. "Well, 'she' at the moment."

"Ugh, if you two get any more lovey-dovey I swear you'd be glued at the hip," Brittany smiled.

"Just like you and Stryyp huh?" Gina grinned.

"Nothing wrong with it," the werecheetah answered almost defensively.

"So how did Agito-kun and Brianna-san become a couple anyway?" asked Kasumi.

"She lured him into her room for one of her workouts," Genn answered bluntly, but the mischief in her eyes was unmistakable.

"Genn!" cried Brianna as Ranko blushed as brightly as her hair.

"Workout?" wondered Kasumi.

"Brianna's libido is a little…extreme." Gina giggled as Brittany muttered 'you should talk' under her breath. "Gets that from me I suppose. Definitely can't fault her taste in guys though! Although she tends to start looking for a guy sooner or later, especially when guys like Stryyp and Ranma started living with us."

"Since I can shape-shift Brianna got me to…deal, with her built up stress in my male form," Genn blushed. "In return I get to feed on her aura. It was a pretty okay agreement, but it's not something I'd care to repeat. Brrr."

"Oh my!" Kasumi blushed brightly.

"Oh come on!" Brianna huffed. "I wasn't that bad! A lot of guys would love to get together with me!"

"You tied me down half the time!" Genn cried back.

"Only because you kept trying to run away!" Brianna pouted.

"For good reason! I could have died from exhaustion!" Genn whimpered back, obviously reliving almost repressed memories. "Eight hours! You went for eight hours straight every time!"

Kasumi couldn't help but giggle at the innuendos being thrown around despite her blushing. She hadn't had a nice chat with the girls like this for a very long time. Oh, mature conversation with an adult was always nice, but it wasn't often she could just sit down with a group of female friends and talk about fun things like boys, love lives or other such things. Most of the females close to her age at home couldn't sit within feet of each other for long before getting into a fight. If this kind of conversation came up then Shampoo, Kodachi, and Ukyo would instantly start talking about what they would do to Ranma when they married him and start fighting each other. Akane would just call them all perverts and go off to hit something, most likely Ranma in her denials that she felt that way. Nabiki would take photos of the catfight to sell to the highest bidder, likely Kuno, before Nodoka would dance around singing about how manly her son was and how she would be a grandmother soon.

"ANYWAY!" Brittany said loudly so to snap Genn and Brianna from their argument. Really, now that Genn didn't have to tend to Brianna's needs to get some aura to eat she was standing up for herself a little better. "One day Brianna caught Ranma training outside, one of hers and Gina's favourite pastimes. Probably mine too if I didn't have my own muffin, but anyway. Brianna gets it into her head to invite him for a workout in her room."

"I still say you took advantage of him," Gina pouted.

"I did not!" Brianna huffed. "It really was a workout! Just not in the traditional fashion. Loads more fun too!"

"Mnnn," Ranko blushed. "Do we have to talk about this?"

"Relax, its standard girl talk," Gina smiled encouragingly. "Nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I understand how Agito-kun and Brianna-san started getting closer then," Kasumi frowned. "But how did that evolve into a relationship? Surely you need more than…lust to make a healthy relationship." Well, Kasumi learned early on that it takes more than lust to make a relationship since that was all Shampoo and Kodachi seemed to appeal to in their pursuit of Ranma and unless it also involved blackmail or mind-controlling spices, it never seemed to work.

"That's easy," Ranko smiled. "Well, me and Brianna did those…workouts, a few times but I was sort of afraid that was all she liked me for. So I…talked to Gina and Brittany about it and they both gave me some advice. I wanted to ask Julia-san and Dr. Diggers, but they told me that was a bad idea."

"VERY bad idea," Brittany grimaced. "Mom's okay with us dating but unless Ranma wanted Dad to pull his flaming skull trick it would have been in his best interests to avoid having a conversation with them about dating Brianna and what she would like to do during one."

"Every father would react as such when considering who their daughters are dating," said Kasumi, smiling. Her own father did the same thing with his demon head however that only ever came out when he and Genma were trying to bully Ranma and Akane to get married. "So, when did you discover your Ranma was Agito?"

"That was awhile back when some Unknown came and attacked the house," said Brittany. She recalled that day very well. She was not likely to forget it anytime soon. How could you forget some humanoid ants come knocking on your door to kill you?

* * *

-FLASHBACK-

_Ranma-Agito was being treated well in the Diggers' house. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been treated so well. Well, having acute memory loss made the statement less than noteworthy, but he could feel it in his bones. This had to be the most relaxed he had ever been. Still, it was quite shocking when he'd changed from a red-haired girl to a dark-haired young man for everyone on his first day there though. Over and over hot and cold water was poured on her/him to activate the change until they got bored. Given that Genn could change genders at will helped make the boredom come very fast._

_They confirmed he had amnesia and aside from his name he couldn't remember anything, including where he might have lived so Dr. Diggers and his family allowed him to move in with them. They weren't exactly hurting for the extra space after all. Not wanting to feel useless, he had taken to doing chores with Genn to fill his time and training his body. He knew the katas from somewhere and followed them with accuracy. Julia said he seemed to be a high calibre martial artist to be able to pull of so many katas so quickly. Unbeknownst to him though, Gina and Brianna had taken to watching him through the window whenever he decided to begin his training._

_Wiping his face with a towel after just finishing one such workout, Ranma decided to go take a bath. No one liked the scent of sweat wafting through their house. Still, he felt like he was missing something after every workout. Not to keep his skills sharp since he'd asked Julia a few times and she said he never slipped up once as far as she could tell. It was like he was missing an extra impact from his training. Maybe he could take Julia up on her offers for sparring or ask Gina to remodel one of her Hurtbots to make a partner or something. He'd have to think about it. In the meantime though, maybe he could see if Genn was making any snacks in the-_

"_Uhhhnn!" Ranma grimaced, feeling like a pulse had just snapped through his mind. It wasn't painful, but felt more like a serious pressure inside of his head. The world went grainy like in old black and white movies and shifted quickly, taking the form of outside the property and coming closer. Shaking his head, the world reverted back to normal, but a dire sense of foreboding._

"_Something…is coming," he muttered to himself._

_BOOOOOOOOOM!_

"_Brianna! Is that you-!" Brittany's voice came from where she was sunning herself on the opposite side of the house. However it was quickly cut off before she started shouting again, this time in real aggression rather than annoyance. "Who the heck are you guys?"_

_His breath hitching, Ranma dashed towards the opposite side of the house, feeling like something awful was about to occur if he didn't get there soon. Racing around the corner, he spotted who had invaded the property and interrupted Brittany's second-favourite downtime. About five humanoid figures with black skin and black loincloths had broken through the outer wall and ran into Brittany. They had ant head-like helmets on which covered their necks with black silk. On the left side of their chests was a silver wing badge and unseen on their backs were small wing-like protrusions._

_On the opposite end, Brittany was adorned in a purple bikini which she had been wearing in her human form and since she changed into her hybrid form, it was now risking coming off in a show any otaku would sacrifice their left nut for._

_The group of five ant people seemed to have a solid stare on the werecheetah, but not in lust like some people who had met her before would have nor was it in fear. If anything, it seemed like contempt or disgust. Huffing, the leader of the five charged at Brittany with its rather intimidating claws raised, ready to take her down._

"_Big mistake pal!" the irate werecheetah frowned. Dashing forward at the leader at a pace very few could match, Brittany reared back a night explosive uppercut which plowed into the ant-man's chin and knocked it back with stars in its eyes. With it dazed, and its comrades not advancing, Brittany grabbed it by the spikes on its shoulders and hefted it up so that they were at eye level. "Okay, now fess up! Who are you?"_

_The ant creature's eyes seemed to be clouded for a moment before it retained its focus. Making a sound as if breathing heavily, it opened its mouth widely._

"_Brittany!" Ranma yelled, fear overcoming his mind although he didn't know why. He dashed towards the werecheetach before tackling her in the side. The force caused her to tumble over as she and Ranma hit the ground. At the same time, the ant monster unleashed a stream of liquid from its mouth that sprayed near the house and tagged a bird which had been flying past._

"_Ouch!" the werehceetah frowned, looking down at the pale amnesiac her family took in. "Ranma, what the heck was that for?"_

"_L-look," was all Ranma said, pointing at the bird that the ant monster's liquid had hit. Britanny turned to see the bird just drop in mid-flight, collapsing onto the grass. It thrashed wildly as bubbles slipped out of its beak as if it were in water and drowning. The werecheetah herself paled when she saw the bird just drop dead after a moment of suffering._

"_Woah," was all she could get out. _

"_Better be careful," cautioned Ranma. "These things aim to kill."_

"_Right," Brittany frowned, getting her nerves of steel back as both got to their feet. "Just the usual adventure for me then."_

"_Be careful," Ranma warned, his voice soft and slightly timid despite the five ant men glaring at them. "I don't want to lose any of the family I just found."_

"_Aww," Brittany cooed. This guy definitely knew when to pull at the heartstrings when he really wanted to. If the situation were not so tense, Brittany would have had trouble suppressing the urge to cuddle him. "I promise."_

_Snarling from the ant men snapped the two back to the situation. The group didn't seem pleased that Brittany had escaped the deathblow meant for her. To their reasonable shock, halos of light appeared above the heads of the ant men before each of them produced a tomahawk. The weapons didn't look like they were made of silver, but it didn't take a genius like Gina to guess that they had magic in them. A wound from them would take even longer to heal than normal for Brittany. Ranma could tell that he probably shouldn't hold back on this one, even if he felt the urge to taunt the five monsters for some reason._

"_Brittany! Ranma!" the rest of the Diggers clan emerged from the back doors, witnessing the fight about to take place. Gina was holding her trusty weapon/grappling hook/multi-tool while Brianna had lugged along a large rifle which no doubt would lay a ton of hurt down on whoever was using it. Theo and Stryyp were already coursing with their respective power with Dr. Diggers; head enveloped in a flaming skull at whoever would try to hurt his children. Julia had drawn her trusty sword and was ready to kick some butt and take some names. Lastly Genn was hanging back a little in his heavily muscled male form, but ready to hop in if needed. He just hoped he wasn't needed._

_Growling, the five monsters broke apart and began charging at the various combatants. Two of the ant monsters went after Theo and Stryyp while another one aimed itself at Julia and Gina. Two more went at Brittany while the last one targeted Ranma himself. The battle was quickly on as everyone began to fight. Brittany laid down some butt-kicking and made doubly sure that the monsters weren't able to spray their spit in her face and drown her. Stryyp and Theo were keeping their dance partners at bay, but Theo's aura magic and Stryyp's artefacts weren't being as effective as they had hoped. It was enough to keep them away, but not much damage was taking place. Julia slashed at her opponent, but didn't get a whole lot of penetration from her sword. Brianna and Gina were trying to get a bead on the monsters, but everyone was too close to warrant a safe shot. Brianna's weapons tended to make large explosions and generally Gina couldn't hit the broad side of a barn._

"_Hyah!" Ranma cried, twisting around a blow before punching the monster in the face, messing with its vision. Not pressing up, he kicked it in the side to try and make it fall down, but its skin was like rubber and its bones like steel. It would take more than just regular attacks to try and take the thing down. "I don't care what it takes. You aren't hurting anyone here!"_

"_You have…no choice," the ant monster growled back, stunning Ranma for a moment. That moment was all that it needed before it tried an overhand chop aimed at Ranma's head. Snapping back to reality, Ranma crossed his arms and blocked the blow at the monster's hands. Growling, the monster tried to press down farther with both hands, but it was having difficulty considering Ranma's strength level. Grunting, Ranma tried to slide the attack off to the side, but the monster's strength was too great for that. He was effectively pinned._

"_Nnnnnngh!" Ranma grunted, trying to put everything he had into getting the monster away. He had to concentrate! He had to focus! He could beat this monster, he just knew he could! Pushing with all of his might, a bright shining light formed at his waist. The monster was immediately blinded by it and stumbled backwards. Panting with adrenaline or maybe something else, Ranma felt the orb coil around his waist and transform into an ornate belt with buttons on the sides, a black centre with a shining yellow core._

_Suddenly pulled by instinct from the strange belt that had formed around his waist, Ranma attacked. As his fist made contact with the creature, rippling energy coursed through his body, donning his entire arm in black material with gold armbands and his shoulder was encased in it. He continued with the assault, and pieces of the strange armor continued to envelop him. Finally, he knocked the creature off its feet with a punch and Ranma was revealed in his changed form. His head was encased in a helmet with a pair of horns and bug-like insectoid eyes. His body was encased in gold, silver and black armor that was over a black form-fitting bodysuit. Finally, the stone in his belt glowed gold._

"_Agito!" the creature identified Ranma._

_The word instantly caused the other ant monsters to completely forget about the Diggers. Instead, they rounded on the armoured young man who had appeared in their midst. All pretence at a fight was forgotten as the ant monsters unleashed bellows of rage as they aimed to destroy the one they called Agito. The gold and black fighter reacted quickly as the five monsters charged, grabbing the closest one to him by the arm before kneeing it in the side, making a distinct cracking noise before tossing it into two of its fellows. One attempted to strike Agito from behind, but as if by a sixth sense, the Rider elbowed it in the face before hefting it over his shoulder. Spinning in the spot to make it dizzy, he then hefted it into the pile of other ant monsters that were having trouble getting back up. The final monster received a savage right hook to the face before being positioned in front of the pile and met with a powerful kick to the torso, knocking it back and making the struggling pile of ant monsters complete._

"_Wow," Brianna gaped. "You go Ranma!"_

_SHING!_

"_Huh?"_

_The horns atop Agito's head spread out into six horns as the Rider himself took a stance. Below him, the ground lit up with golden power with matched the crest of horns that Agito sported. Theo's eyes were wide as he felt the massive amount of power which was radiating by the marking even as it was being absorbed into Agito's legs. Looking to the ant monsters as they began to get up again, Agito leaped into the air, an invisible force pushing him towards the five monsters as he extended his leg in a flying kick. The extended foot shone with a mysterious light as he descended. The first of the ant monsters looked up only to receive the full force of the attack as it landed. The force of the blow smashed the leader into its fellows, making them all skid backwards several feet before dropping like a bunch of wet rags to the ground._

_There was silence for a moment before a choking noise came from the five. With obvious effort, they began pulling themselves up from the ground. They were obviously wounded and seriously, but they were still getting back up again._

"_What does it take to drop these guys anyway?" demanded Brittany as she prepared to fight again._

_The five monsters continued their choking noises as they continued to rise. Their halos began rising again, but they seemed unstable as they began shifting in intensity and structure. As they halos began growing more fragile, the monsters seemed to be getting worse with their noises. Finally the halos collapsed before the monsters screamed out and exploded in a fiery haze._

"_Woah!" Genn gasped, shielding his eyes from the flash the explosions made by the dying monsters._

"_A suicide attack?" asked Stryyp. "Or making sure no one can learn anything about them from their bodies?"_

"_That's not my first concern at the moment," Theo replied. His eyes were riveted on Agito, the young man who had been the amnesiac he and his family took in. Was he aware of this power or did it appear just now?_

_This was going to take a lot of research._

-END FLASHBACK—

* * *

"Oh my!" Kasumi gasped.

"It was really dramatic too!" Gina grinned. "We were all thrown for a loop!"

"Try being the one who did that on reflex and having no idea why," Ranko commented.

"So, what else did you do when you discovered your Ranma's new powers?" Kasumi asked.

"Like with every new discovery, we tried to study it, but there were some obstacles…" Gina trailed off.

"Resistance?"

"He didn't remember how he did it."

-FLASHBACK-

* * *

"_What do you mean you don't remember! You were kicking butt and taking names!" Gina cried in outraged disappointment._

"_It just happened, OK? I don't know what triggered it but all of a sudden some bizarre belt appears around my waist and my body was moving on its own!" Ranma cried as he was strapped to an examination table in Gina's underground lab. He understood why he was in his boxers, but why did he have to be tied down and why did Gina have her djinn partner Dao activate a recording camera? "Heck, I barely remember kicking those monsters' butts!"_

"_Oh come on!" Gina whined. "You have to remember something!"_

"_I don't! Now would you let me get my clothes back on?"_

"_Nuh-uh! Not until the tests are finished!" the bespectacled blonde grinned. Well, if she couldn't immediately discover this new power, she could do all sorts of tests while admiring his hunky body at the same time. Yum!_

_Dao just sighed as he witnessed that familiar gleam in Gina's eyes. This was going to be one of those days._

-END FLASHBACK—

* * *

"I still don't believe I had to take my boxers off for that one test," Ranko grumbled.

"Hey, who's got the PHD?" asked Gina.

"Whose libido is stuck in the ON position and powered by nuclear batteries?" retorted Ranko.

"Ha!" Brittany laughed. She of all people knew just how bad Gina's libido could get. It was where Brianna got her own set of hormones from after all. Said bespectacled blonde just grumbled and crossed her arms with a huff. She knew Ranko was right, but she wasn't going to say it. She had her pride after all.

"So how did you manage to control your powers Agito-kun?" asked Kasumi.

"Well, it took a few more Unknown attacks and more tests from both Gina and Dr. Diggers before we managed to figure it out," Ranko shrugged. "It reacts when I need it and concentrating on it like a source of internal energy helps. Of course, when an Unknown is on the attack it tends to get a lot easier. Dr. Diggers seems to think that my power reacts when I'm in danger or wish to combat things like the Unknown."

"It does explain why you seem to be able to sense when they appear," Genn nodded.

"Hey, I should be able to sense them to fight them, considering how their hunting down and killing people," said Ranko.

"How mysterious," Kasumi commented.

"You said it," Gina sighed.

As the girls were having their talks, Julia had entered the house and was in the library with Theo and Stryyp, both reading through the good doctor's extensive library of aura magic. Theo was of course at his desk with numerous tomes around him while Stryyp had pulled up a chair and was reading another book.

"Any progress?" the slightly aged redhead asked of her husband and son-in-law.

"Oh we may have found what we needed to help Mr. Saotome deal with his phobia," Dr. Diggers nodded. "The only problem is that at best it's going to be a temporary fix. The nature of his phobia is deep and mentally scarring. Right now all I can do is separate the memories of his suffering and use a psychic seal on him."

"What makes it temporary then?" asked Julia. She was a warrior, not a magician. Things like this tended to go over her head unless they were put on the basic level.

"From what we've read, it's usually used for people who are trying to cure the phobia and it degrades with time," Stryyp answered, his book having been dealing with the subject. "Ideally the subject would gain positive experiences with what they were afraid of and by the time the seal breaks down they would have a better handle on it."

"Then what makes using this seal on the other Ranma so bad?" asked Julia.

"Because what Ms. Tendo explained to me is that Ranma's phobia is quite possibly the most powerful I have ever seen," Theo sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "She explained to me that to try and break the fear, his idiot of a father repeated the Neko-ken training using different fish products. He can't even go near a kitten without freezing in fear or screaming his head off. Even worse, if the fear becomes too much, he becomes enveloped by it and actually thinks he's a cat."

Julia's eyes bulged to the point where they risked falling from her face. "What? It's not enough he was given a crippling weakness like that but he suffers memories like that every time he so much as looks at a cat or something that reminds him of one?"

"I'm afraid so, yes," Theo nodded. "I believe that the only reason our Ranma does not suffer from such a fear is because of his amnesia. He's completely forgotten about what occurred and doesn't know to be afraid of cats, although he probably felt some echoes of it when we first brought him in."

"It does explain why he was jumpier than most people are when they meet Brittany and me for the first time," Stryyp nodded, recalling the time after Ranma-Agito had been brought into the Diggers' home after discovering him. "I just thought he was nervous about his lack of memories and what he might have done beforehand."

"I am going to murder that sack of fat he calls a father when I see him," Julia growled, hating the thought of anyone harming her children or sons-in-law, future or present. Frankly if what the other Ranma had told them was true in this world, she would be entirely justified in doing it as well. "So is there anything that can be done?"

"We found the temporary seal pretty quickly," Theo answered. "But we've been searching for a more permanent one for a while. I know there is one, but I've regretfully forgotten where I saw it."

"I'm sure we'll find it," Stryyp nodded. "In the meantime, can we not simply use the temporary seal and reinforce it while the other Ranma is here? There are several Unknown who look like cats and would no doubt leap at the opportunity to kill him should he be incapacitated by his terror."

"I had the same thoughts," Theo nodded. "I had hoped to find the seal we needed but it seems the temporary one will have to do for now."

"Considering the Unknown also come in cat form, he's going to need it to help our Ranma in this world," nodded Julia

Kasumi, hearing Ranko's stories, smiled. It seemed that in this world Ranma had escaped his bonds from the past, but in a more drastic way, and even found a new family. Odd that none of the rivals, Tendos or Saotomes had tried to look for him. Maybe they were or maybe they weren't, but considering how her father and Genma were obsessed with uniting the schools, they weren't going to give up or allow something like amnesia get in the way. Unfortunately for them, it seemed that Ranma-Agito wouldn't be alone or hesitate to fight back, even using the Agito Power if he had to.

As the girls continued talking, Ranko's infamous stomach began grumbling quite audibly, only to be matched by Brittany's.

"Would you allow me to cook?" Kasumi volunteered. She felt like thanking them for helping this world's Ranma.

"Oh we couldn't!" Genn gasped. "You're a guest!"

"Oh but I simply must insist!" Kasumi argued. "I know several dishes which my Ranma-kun loved so Agito-kun should love them too."

"Anything with tuna?" Brittany asked hopefully.

"I think I can find a place for it," Kasumi smiled.

"You're in!" Brittany and Brianna cheered excitedly.

"Sounds like Genn must be cooking tuna," Stryyp commented, hearing his wife and sister-in-law cheering over their favourite fish product.

"A snack would be good after this," Theo nodded as he, Stryyp, and Julia entered the guest room where Ranma was currently sleeping. He was all but dead to the world in his slumber. "I'm going to need silence for this."

Kneeling next to the slumbering Ranma, Theo began chanting under his breath, drawing out his aura. It quickly turned blue and snaked towards Ranma as if it were alive. Quickly wrapping itself around his head, it flashed brightly before vanishing. The spell itself didn't last too long, but Theo was slightly winded from using so much of his aura at once. Really, it wasn't since he fought her father the Lich King did he push himself.

"That should do it," he sighed. "I pushed a considerable amount into it so the seal should hold for at least a few days if not a week. However, once he's exposed to cats again it may degrade faster considering how terrified he is of them."

"Let's hope it holds in that case then," Julia nodded. "Now what?"

"We let him rest and wait for him to wake up," Theo answered. "No doubt he suffered quite a shock with his phobia today."

"I just wish he didn't have to deal with it in the first place," Stryyp sighed.

"You and me both," Julia nodded, gesturing the two men out of the room before shutting the door behind her.

* * *

_When are these subjects appearing?_

_They will come soon_

_Why are they not coming faster?_

_Their Lord is…incapacitated and they are searching for him._

_It took convincing to get their aid._

_In the meantime, I have a task to accomplish._

* * *

Ranma gave off a soft groan as he came out of unconsciousness. The last thing he remembered was seeing two people entering the house who looked like…cats? Sitting up, he looked around and saw that he was in what was like a guest room. A few nicely placed plants were decorating it and he was in a comfortable futon. He was also sure he could smell one of his favourite dishes being cooked somewhere else in the house. Teriyaki? Miso?

"Wait a second," Ranma frowned, something from his mind suddenly grabbing his attention. "Cat people? I must have been dreaming."

Rubbing his eyes, he rose from the futon sluggishly. He honestly couldn't remember having slept so well before. Usually his sleep was interrupted by his father attacking him, Akane or Nabiki splashing him with water for their various reasons, or a fiancée trying to sneak into his bed, usually Shampoo or Kodachi. Being so well-rested was a pretty rare thing for him. He wouldn't normally complain about such a boon, but it would have been better if he could remember why he had fallen asleep. As far as he knew he was still in his Agito counterpart's house. Hopefully someone would be around to tell him what had happened.

Walking out of the wing which held the bedrooms down a set of stairs he discovered, Ranma wandered back to the main living area. Blinking some of the sleep out of his eyes, he saw Kasumi sitting at the table eating a meal with who he recognized as his counterpart in girl form, Julia, Theo, Brianna, and Genn. With them were a woman who looked like she was part cheetah and a man who looked like he was part tiger. Blinking, Ranma rubbed his eyes, the scene being strange even for him.

"Ah, good afternoon Ranma," Kasumi smiled, spotting Ranma coming out of the hallway. "Did you rest well?"

"Pretty good," Ranma sighed, growing more confused as the eyes of everyone in the room turned to him, including the two cat people. "What hit me?"

"You freaked out when you saw Brittany and Stryyp," Gina explained. "Kasumi explained the Neko-ken and Dad used a sleeping spell on you to calm you down."

"A spell?" asked Ranma.

"I'm an aura mage. Magic is something of a specialty of mine" Theo explained. "After Ms. Tendo explained your rather extreme reaction to my daughter and son-in-law I managed to find a seal to keep your fear from affecting you. It's temporary at best, but it should hold it back for the time being."

"Oh…thanks," Ranma blinked. He was still a little out of it, but he was getting the gist of the conversation. It was definitely something to be happy about…once his mind got back to normal operating procedures. Looking to the table, he spotted the food which had Kasumi's touch from what he could see and the sizable amount of tuna in front of Brianna and the cheetah woman he guessed was Brittany. Since normal operating procedures for Ranma's Brain 2.0 were unavailable, it went to a regular standby until repairs were complete, "Is there any more food left?"

"Plenty. Take a seat," Ranko smiled.

"Thanks," Ranma smiled, managing to get a seat between Genn and Stryyp

"Please remember to eat politely," Kasumi reminded the pigtailed young man. "Your father isn't here and we're guests here."

"Right, right," Ranma nodded as he began helping himself to some rice.

"What does his father have to do with eating at the table?" asked Julia, already guessing that the answer to her question would be something that she would not like.

"Ah, Pop would always train me during dinner. The panda would always try to steal my food during dinner and I had to defend myself while eating as much food as I could or else I would go hungry," Ranma sighed. "He'd say it was all part of training, but really he just didn't want to stop eating. I got my payback though when I got good enough to steal more from him than he could from me. Every time we ate he'd always start trying to steal my food."

"You're joking, right?" asked Brianna, gaping at the thought of such training.

"No he isn't. I've seen it myself," Kasumi confirmed. "No insult intended Ranma, but it was rather rude."

"I kind of thought so too, but Pop wouldn't let up," Ranma sighed.

"And your father didn't say anything?" asked Theo to Kasumi.

"Father would have just said it was all part of Anything-Goes training and just ignore it," Kasumi shrugged. "He turns a blind eye to anything Mr. Saotome does because of their supposed bond they forged while they were training under their master. Of course, once Ranma's mother started living with us such incidents rarely happen since Auntie is a very traditional person."

"Too traditional," Brianna muttered crossly under her breath. Any woman who seemed to think honour and grandkids were more important than the mental and physical health and happiness of her own child was definitely not fit to be a mother in the first place. It was yet another reason why Brianna was determined to keep her muffin as far away from Nerima as she could. Maybe once they were done with this Unknown mess in Japan, he could move with them back to Atlanta in the U.S.?

"Another reason why I plan to give Genma Saotome the beating of a lifetime if all this has occurred to our Ranma," Julia frowned.

"I agree," Theo nodded.

"I didn't think anyone could be that greedy," Ranko grimaced.

"Pop is all that and more," Ranma nodded. "A great martial arts teacher…but not so great at anything else."

Dinner soon went into general conversation as Ranma learned a little bit more about the Diggers. He learned that they came from Atlanta, Georgia in the United States and that Gina was a famous archaeologist who managed to get into all sorts of trouble which was why Brittany acted as her bodyguard during such adventures. During a trip to a temple in the Middle East, the girls had met Genn who had been in servitude to some kind of demon before the girls freed her. In the process, both girls were cursed with increasing bad luck until such time that it would kill them. To combat it, Gina had made some kind of soup which had Brittany's and her own DNA inside of it. The curse mixed with the soup was what gave birth to Brianna. Ranma, having dealt with mirror-generated clones and various spooks and jerks, took it all in stride. So Brianna was born in an artificial womb. It didn't make her less of a person.

Stryyp also explained that he had met the Diggers after they helped him free his home of El Dorado from an evil sorcerer who was from Atlantis. Add to the fact that Stryyp was prince of an alien race of cat people made Ranma blink. As much as he was used to magic and demons, aliens were something new to him. Well, they wouldn't have been if he had travelled to the Tomobiki area where some tiger stripe-clad alien woman who his friends drooled over now and again was living.

"Sounds like you people get in as much trouble as I do," Ranma snickered, hearing a description of Dr. Peabody, an evil madman who was in fact a dog.

"Yeah, some of it does seem a little scary," Gina nodded with a grin. "But when you get right down to it, it's so much fun!"

"Says you," Brittany sighed. She had been on the receiving end of some hurt more often than Gina had during the course of their adventures. Gina just wasn't a fighter like she was and it definitely showed. Of course, she couldn't complain about the antics in their lives since it helped her meet her own muffin Stryyp.

The Diggers sisters regaled the travelling pair about some of the people they met like Kahn who was the head librarian in Shangri-La or Raphael, a golem made to look like a werecheetah made by a Kryn priestess named Tanya who had hoped to break Brittany's engagement to Stryyp so she could have the alien prince to herself. Brittany didn't make it any secret how much she detested the woman for what she did, especially after Raphael was almost destroyed by the end of that particular mess. In a lot of ways, Ranma could really relate to that feeling. His rivals were always trying to steal his fiancées away, usually by trying to take him out like this Tanya woman tried to do with Brittany.

"I totally get where you're coming from," Ranma nodded sagely. "I have tons of experience in that regard."

"No doubt," Brianna giggled slightly.

Kasumi smiled at the pleasant conversation. She hadn't had a nice dinner like this in a very long time. No offence to Ranma, who had brought some much needed variety and excitement into her life, but dinnertime should be one of the peaceful moments a household has. Whereas the Diggers and houseguests had a moment of family bonding with good friends and family all around, the Tendo family usually had fights, whining, and sometimes outright violence at the dinner table just because of someone's obsession over something or someone saying something wrong and apparently needed large amounts of physical violence to correct.

How she envied these people.

* * *

_Is he in place?_

_Yes._

_The other agents?_

_Approaching._

_Then shall we begin?_

* * *

**Tokyo**

A secretary temp yawned as she sifted through her meal at an outdoor café. Work hadn't been too bad and the higher ups were definitely starting to like her work. She had been able to type up numerous reports rather quickly as of late, making more free time for herself. It was like she could actually move faster than what most people were capable of in her profession. Of course, she wasn't going to complain since this rather new skill had been rather profitable and getting her a bonus thus far. Maybe if she was lucky it might get her a secure secretary position with bigger pay than what she had currently at the moment.

If she lived that long…

Emerging from an alley nearby was an Unknown. Its skin was mostly dark brown save for its front which was an earthly shade of orange, but that was covered by the dark brown chest armor which had spikes rising from it. It had similar pieces of shoulder armor on. Its head was likewise covered by an urchin-like helmet which had eyeholes for it to see out of. Its face was white with clenched needle-like teeth like many of its male comrades. On its back were a pair of hardened wings which were curled in making them almost appear like a shell of some sort complete with a silver wing-like badge over its heart on the front.

Breathing softly, the Urchin Lord placed his left palm over his collar bone and lowered in to his heart before dragging his right index and middle fingers across it twice in silent prayer. After a moment, he got his answer. Permission to sin gained; the Urchin Lord began making choking noises. A moment of this continued before he spat out a glob of saliva which splattered across the temp's back with a loud plopping noise.

"Egh!" the temp cried, feeling the saliva soak through her blouse and touch her back. "What the…ugh…w-what…?" Her outrage trailed off into startled confusion as her vision became hazy. Her skin started to pale and all of the excess fat and muscle in her body began to shrink at a terrifyingly rapid pace. She didn't even have time to scream before she collapsed to the ground, her body having turned and fed on itself as if its had been starving. The woman was mercifully dead when she hit the ground, spared of the agony of starving to death over a lengthy period.

The woman dead and more people dashing to her side to see what had happened, some calling paramedics to lend assistance, the Urchin Lord sank back into the shadows and left to find another target.

* * *

**Diggers House**

A sudden phone ringing interrupted the dinner the family and guests were enjoying. Being the closest, Genn got up from the table and picked up the phone, "Hello, Diggers residence." There was silence for a moment before Genn's eyes bugged out. "I see." Setting the phone down, she looked to the table, "Dr. Diggers, there's been another Unknown attack!"

"What?" Theo gasped. Getting to his feet, he practically teleported across the room and grasped the phone. "Hello? Yes. I see. Very well. I'll be there immediately. Goodbye." Hanging up the phone, Theo looked out to his family and friends. "A woman starved to death while eating dinner at an outdoor café."

"Starved to death while eating?" asked Gina with a surprised blink. "That's a new one."

"Definitely an Unknown," Ranma frowned.

"Yeah. It must be outside my range or didn't use a lot of power," Ranko frowned. "Otherwise I would have sensed it."

"Which means this one is careful," Theo nodded as he returned to the table. "Ranma, and I mean the both of you, if you could come with me I would appreciate the assistance should the Unknown who did this be in the area."

"You got it Dr. Diggers!" both Ranma and Ranko called in unison, looking like they were actual siblings rather than dimensional counterparts.

"Sure you don't want to bring one of my inventions along?" asked Gina.

"Or one of mine?" added Brianna hopefully.

"I am capable of protecting myself you know," Theo chuckled lightly.

"We just worry Theo," Julia sighed. "You know how dangerous these things are. Even with all of the experience we have we still worry that you're going to get yourself hurt while you're out hunting these things."

"Hey, that's why we're with him," Ranma grinned. "No worries."

Saying their goodbyes to the family and claiming hot water for Ranko, changing her back to male form, Theo and the two Ranmas headed out of the door. Ranma would have used his Machine Decader, but instead Theo instructed the both of them to stay close. Confused, Ranma did as he was told. Theo then began bringing up his magic, which indeed feel similar to ki in a few ways to him rather than magic like many of his rivals and fiancées had used on him in the past. Completing his spell, Theo and both Ranmas were engulfed in a bright light. Ranma felt himself being pulled by something, but knew better than to fight it since magic had a way of going crazy on him and Theo wasn't the kind of guy to try to hurt him. The light show and tugging sensation quickly ended and all three men were suddenly in an alleyway.

"It should be nearby," Theo nodded as he gestured for the two to follow him.

Exiting the alley, the three men found police cars and officers surrounding the area around an outdoor café. A body was being hidden underneath a white sheet so to protect the victim's identity as well as hide her state from the general public. However, the victim's hand was sticking out from under the sheet and looked like it was nothing but skin and bones, indicating she had just wasted away for some reason or another.

"I'll see what the situation is," Theo instructed the pair of boys. "If you sense the Unknown nearby, then don't hesitate to fight it. I do not want it going free to kill someone else."

"You got it Dr. Diggers," Ranma-Agito nodded.

"Sure," Ranma agreed.

Nodding, Theo approached the police tape where the officers were standing guard. With his long cooperation with the police this far in the investigations, none of them tried to stop him as he crossed the line. Approaching the body, he found a detective observing it while an officer was drawing a chalk line around the unfortunate woman. The detective wore a black suit and wore a brown trench coat overtop of it. He also possessed strong facial features and had almost shoulder length black hair. His name was Detective Makoto Hikawa and he was part of a special unit which dealt with the Unknown.

Detective Hikawa was a distinguished officer who earned a hero's thanks after managing to save the runaway ferry ship Akatsuki-Gou while it was being worked over by abnormal storm conditions and steer it to safety. His career took off at that point and he was assigned to the G3 unit for his actions. His unit was the one Dr. Diggers dealt with on a constant basis since they were the first ones who were called when it seemed like an Unknown had killed someone. It was a rather obvious call to make since the victims of the Unknown would often die in seemingly impossible ways.

"Hikawa-san," Theo called, catching the detective's attention. "Any leads this time?"

"Ah, Diggers-sensei," the detective nodded, seeing the mystic expert approach. "Not as of the moment. We're currently running her identity so to see who she was and what she did for a living. Right now it's just standard procedure. Well, as standard as anything gets with the Unknown."

"And she really starved to death while eating?" asked Theo.

"According to witnesses, she just cried out about something before wasting away and collapsing," Hikawa replied. "There wasn't anything odd happening and she just suddenly starved to death."

"So that means this Unknown doesn't have to get close to their victims to cause their deaths," Theo frowned, kneeling next to the dead body. Reaching out his hand, he did a simple scanning spell to try and determine whatever had caused this sudden death. Hikawa was no stranger to the realms of supernatural after he had taken his job in the G3 unit. Dr. Diggers' reputation also spoke for itself as the Americans had to deal with many supernatural incidents in the past, many of which Dr. Diggers had helped deal with. Theo's scan did not take long and quickly finished before he recalled his aura.

"Do you think we can turn her over?" asked the American mage. "I think whatever started this came from her back."

"Her back?" Hikawa blinked. Gesturing to two officers, the selected men took the dead woman's body and began lifting her up by her shoulders, taking care to leave her face hidden so the watching civilians would not be frightened by her starved appearance. Theo and Hikawa walked around behind the body and examined her back, quickly finding a spot in the centre which looked like it had been wet at one point but had long since dried. "It started here?"

"I'd stake my reputation on it," Theo frowned. "The Unknown responsible for this had splashed something on the victim's back which is probably why she cried out. She had felt it happen. The effect must have been instant for her to suddenly waste away right after. Obviously we're dealing with a new variety of Unknown since this one does not follow any of the means of killing that the other Unknown have done in the past."

Hikawa nodded. It had been Dr. Diggers who had suggested building a database on the various types of Unknown which had appeared in the past. It made sense to the officer since he had seen some Unknown shared common characteristics. Whenever an Unknown had killed, the police could check the database to determine if the Unknown responsible had appeared before and thus predict its abilities and movements. However, it wasn't a perfect system since new types of Unknown were prone to appearing often, but it still had its uses. It certainly helped Hikawa in the past now and then.

"Any recommendations?" asked Hikawa.

"Probably just get that suit of yours on standby," Theo offered. "Once you find out if this woman has any relatives, I would suggest keeping higher eyes on them. If this Unknown is capable of killing from a distance then it will probably use that advantage as a sniper of some kind. Unless we see it in action though, we won't be able to tell just what kind of range it possesses."

"A good point," Hikawa agreed. "We'll get that identity search going immediately."

"At this point science would be the better choice to examine her since her your superiors will probably not be willing to believe an aura mage made some findings which helped the investigation," Theo sighed. "As high as your unit commander is to contact Agent M, your immediate superiors don't seem to be ready to accept the idea of magic."

"Even with the Unknown doing it all the time," Hikawa nodded. "Still, we'll put your recommendations into practice once we find if this woman has any relatives."

As Theo and Hikawa continued talking, the two Ranmas waited outside the police tape. Ranma-Agito was familiar with this kind of action while Ranma was having a slightly more difficult time. Orphenochs tended to turn their victims to dust while Mirror Monsters ate all of the victims. Fangires just turned them into glass from draining life energy while the Worms hid the bodies of their victims so no one would suspect the mimic. This was his first time seeing a victim of a kaijin attack.

"So…" Ranma grimaced, trying to not stare at the half-covered woman who was little more than skin and bones. "What exactly goes on at this point?"

"Not much," Ranma-Agito answered honestly, quite used to seeing dead people after fighting the Unknown. "Dr. Diggers is usually the go-to guy for stuff like this, but the superiors in the police force don't really believe in magic so anything he finds is between him and the G3 unit which is specifically formed to fight off kaijin. They don't have any problem believing Dr. Diggers' observations and recommendations since they've seen Unknown in action and know they have magic."

"So what do you do then?" wondered Ranma.

"Dr. Diggers brings me along just in case the Unknown responsible or another one is nearby. If I sense it, I go on the chase," the ponytail Ranma answered. "It's happened before, an Unknown sticking around nearby to see what the police do about its victims, probably seeing if there's more in all the scramble of people."

"So it's a sit and wait thing then, isn't it?" wondered Ranma.

"Just about," Ranma-Agito nodded. "The police have tried everything to track the movements of the Unknown, but so far nothing has worked. It's like they just up and vanish until they find their next target and try to kill them. Even if I can sense them, it's only when they go on the attack like I said before. Sometimes I'm in time to save someone…other times I'm not."

Ranma held a moment of silence, realizing the impact of what his counterpart was saying. Thick he may be at times, but not even he could miss that. In the other worlds, the victims of the monsters most likely didn't suffer very long. That probably held true for the Unknown, but the manner in which they died was no doubt very scary. Starving to death in a flash, drowning outside water, falling through walls as if they weren't there, it was no doubt very scary. Dying with a monster doing the killing would be a pretty bad way to go. Being unable to stop that when you had the power to do so was probably a horrible feeling.

'_Awkward,_' Ranma sighed internally as he rubbed the back of his neck. Looking to the scene, he saw that Dr. Diggers was still talking to one of the detectives, watching as some paramedics were loading the unfortunate woman onto a stretcher and taking some notes. Deciding that the conversation needed a turn, Ranma thought of something he had noticed while at the Diggers' house. "So, you and Brianna seem pretty close."

"Yeah, we are," Ranma-Agito nodded with a smile. "She's really something."

Yet another pang of envy hit Ranma as it was confirmed that another of his counterparts was finding more luck and control in their life than he was, especially in love, "So…how did you two get together anyway?"

"Well, it definitely wasn't what you call a regular way," Ranma-Agito chuckled slightly.

* * *

-FLASHBACK—

_Ranma finished one of the slower kata which had surfaced in his mind since being fished out of the ocean by the Diggers' family. Julia would often quiz him, testing his openings and setting up reactions to see just how much he knew. She was very surprised to find the number of moves he seemed to know on instinct, often being able to stop her admittedly slow assaults and close up the openings in his positions after only having them exploited once. Julia often told him that he was some kind of martial arts prodigy if he was able to react and move like he could despite having no memory of training._

_Ranma would often use the slow katas for meditation, reflecting on his life after he woke up on the beach. Julia was a somewhat strict person, especially in her martial arts but she was also a very kind woman. Theo was just as kind of not more so, but he took everything he did seriously. Brittany and her husband Stryyp were nice, but something about them made him feel a little uneasy for some time, but he wasn't very sure what. Genn was pretty nice and certainly made Ranma feel more at ease with his ability to change genders, although the Raksasha had a habit of going into girl form to try and make a good impression on Theo's former apprentice Séance when he would visit. Gina was likewise nice, but that gleam in her eyes whenever she would try to get him down into her lab was a little unnerving. Brianna…_

"_Hi there."_

_Ranma looked up and spied Brianna smiling brightly at him, watching him from the door of the house. She was wearing a pair of denim shorts affectionately knows as Daisy Dukes back in North America with a simple tank top. Knowing that Brianna was born from both Gina and Brittany, she had a few qualities of the two. Noticeably, she had a familiar gleam in her eyes which Gina would get now and again. She also had that rough and tumble kind of energy which he noticed Brittany had when she wasn't setting off some kind of internal alarm. However, her friendliness and smile was all Brianna and it helped to make him feel welcome when he came back from fighting Unknown. Well, that and Genn's cooking._

"_Hey Brianna," Ranma greeted as he moved through some slower movements in his kata. "What's up?"_

"_Was working on some peebos and decided to take a break," the blonde weapons expert shrugged. "I saw you out here and wondered if you'd like to workout together." At the word workout, her grin became several degrees bigger and it sent shivers down Ranma's spine, but if they were good shivers or not was yet to be seen._

"_A workout?" asked Ranma. "I guess that doesn't sound too bad. A spotting partner would be nice."_

"_Great!" Brianna beamed excitedly "Follow me!"_

_Nodding, Ranma followed the youngest Diggers sister into the house. He at first thought that they were heading to the exorcise room in the basement which Gina had built for Brittany and her own boyfriend Ryan Talbot to work out in should he decide to visit, but Brianna was moving to the stairs heading up rather than the stairs heading down. Noticing the confused look on the ponytailed boy's face, Brianna decided to enlighten him, "I have some less specialized equipment in my room. Something to start off lightly before you start thinking about trying the stuff Gina had specially made for Cheetah and Ryan."_

"_Oh," Ranma nodded. "Makes sense."_

_Coming up to a room which was decorated with a radioactive symbol, Brianna opened her door and gestured Ranma inside with a catty grin. In typical Ranma fashion, he didn't notice it as he strolled inside. Inside Brianna's room was pretty much a tech geek's paradise. All sorts of machinery were strewn about and half-constructed peebos and a few weapons were likewise here and there in the room. So much explosive power might have been intimidating, but if anything, Brianna was careful about what she built and she knew what she was doing. Now, if she was aiming said high yield weaponry at you then that was the time to get worried. The denizens of the Dragon Pharaoh's Tower could certainly attest to that. Still, despite all of the machinery and technology around, Ranma had noticed something._

"_Hey, where's the-"GLOMP!-"Woah!"_

_Brianna immediately tackled Ranma from behind and onto her bed._

_And then…her 8-hour workout began._

_-_END FLASHBACK-

* * *

"Um…wow," Ranma blinked, flushed slightly. Although his Agito counterpart had not said it, he could guess just what he and Brianna had done which involved her tackling him onto a bed and coining the phrase, 8-hour workout. Dense he may have been about most things involving intimacies, but even he got the message in this case.

"Yeah," Ranma-Agito nodded, not needing to explain further. "When Brianna wants something, she isn't shy in trying to get it. When she gets it, she makes sure that she has it locked down tight." While the statement could have been seen as similar to what the Fiancee Brigade would do to Ranma, fight over him and never give up until they have him secured in their clutches, the grin on Ranma-Agito's face showed that he did return Brianna's sentiment.

"So…is that when you two started dating?" asked Ranma.

"Well…it was a…workout or two later that I got the courage up to ask," Ranma-Agito replied. "Remember my memory is gone so I didn't know anything about relationships or how they worked. I definitely thought Brianna was cute and dating her seemed like an interesting idea even before she made me her workout partner. I just wasn't sure if she liked me as anything more. So I asked Brittany and Gina for advice and plucked up my courage for what they called, 'a classic manoeuvre'. "

* * *

-FLASHBACK—

_A knock at Brianna's door alerted the half-werecheetah that somebody wanted to talk to her. Getting up from her latest peebo project, she wiped her hands on her jeans as she reached the door and gripped the handle. Pulling on it, she blinked when she found that she had a bouquet of flowers in front of her, being held by a flushing Ranma._

"_For you," Ranma said bluntly._

"_R-Ranma…they're gorgeous," Brianna blinked, taking the flowers. Her cheeks had turned a sharp red as she gazed at the lovely mix of roses, lilies, and other bright flowers. "But…why? I mean…"_

"_W-well…um…" Ranma mumbled, trying to remember what Brittany and Gina told him. For some reason, he felt like he was going to stick his foot in his mouth out of sheer habit but he fought to maintain control of his mouth. "I…I know flowers probably aren't your thing…but I wanted…to get you something nice. I mean…since we do…spend a lot of time together…now and then."_

"_Ranma…you didn't have to," Brianna gulped, fearing that Ranma had done this since he felt obligated to. "You really didn't have to. I mean, it was more for my sake that we did those workouts. You really shouldn't feel like you owe me anything when it was-"_

"_I know that," Ranma nodded rapidly. "It's just…I've…I've got this feeling in my bones…that I haven't been that close to anybody…like I am you…and I just wanted to say that…I wanted to see if we could…could try seeing if we could date…or something…if you wanted to…I guess." Ranma's nervous mumbling trailed off as he looked at the floor. He felt like the nerd at the bottom of the social ladder, asking the head cheerleader out for his first date! Where had all of his confidence gone? Now Brianna would think he's just some kid acting on his hormones and-_

"_I'd like that," Brianna's near whisper spoke, cutting through his thoughts like a hot knife through butter. Ranma looked up and saw her red face partially hidden behind the flowers, but the very big grin was somehow still recognizable and her eyes were sparkling. "I'd like that a lot."_

_You could have knocked Ranma over with a feather at that point._

_Unbeknownst to the two, Brittany and Gina were peeking around a corner, wearing silly grins as they struggled not to cheer and give each other a high five for a job well done. However, behind the two Diggers girls were their parents who had almost stumbled onto the moment if not for their daughters stopping them. Julia was smiling softly at the rather romantic scene, already wondering how the name Ranma Diggers would sound. On the other hand, Theo was watching with narrowed eyes, his entire head replaced by a rather evil-looking skull which was burning with barely restrained paternal fury just waiting to be unleashed should the young man with his daughter try anything funny with his youngest, never mind the fact that Brianna had instigated such business with the amnesiac a few times already._

-END FLASHBACK-

* * *

Ranma blinked at the description of events. It was a little odd in terms of how he usually met girls and how his counterparts did so. Usually they met the girls they were falling for after saving them, fighting them, or them witnessing what went on as their roles as Kamen Riders. Ranma just met them when they appeared in Nerima either demanding his head or his hand. How Ranma-Agito had started going out with Brianna seemed to be more along the lines of how relationships started normally if anything else. That in itself was strange to the pigtailed martial artist. A Ranma Saotome who was able to do things like a normal person? How weird!

"Brianna and I have been dating since," Ranma-Agito smiled. "I'm just glad that her parents approve. I live with them after all."

"Right," Ranma nodded, that knife of envy stabbing into him yet again. Looking out to the police, he saw that the ambulance with the dead body had begun driving away. Dr. Diggers had likewise finished his talk with the detective and was crossing the police tape to return to the two Ranmas who were waiting for him.

"I take it the Unknown isn't nearby," Theo sighed as he approached.

"Haven't heard a thing," Ranma-Agito replied. "What about with the police?"

"Well, the unfortunate lady didn't have any immediate family, but the police did find that she has some distant relatives which may be a target," Theo answered, holding up a piece of paper. "It's our only lead so we're going to find them and hopefully stop the Unknown responsible for this before it kills anyone else."

"Sounds good to me," Ranma nodded. "So where is it that we're going?"

"Another district," Theo answered, gesturing for the pair to follow him. "The unfortunate young lady here had a cousin there who married and had children, a pair of girls. The parents are both deceased but their daughters still live in that district. They're both high school students and the G3 unit should be getting some officers to keep an eye on them pretty soon. However given the elapsed time between when the Unknown attacked here and now, we're fighting against the clock."

"Just like every time we go against the Unknown," Ranma-Agito frowned. "We can't track them so the best we can do is try to predict where they'll be going next. Just who are these two girls Dr. Diggers?"

"Well, according to Detective Hikawa's operator Ozawa, their names are Tenma and Yakumo Tsukamoto," Dr. Diggers replied, reading over the note. He was thankful that the confident female technician of the G3 unit was convinced to hook up terminals to the police search engines. Because of the threat of the Unknown, the G3 unit had to be ready to go at a moment's notice, if not sooner considering how some Unknown like the jackal-types were able to move fast enough to attack up close and still remain unseen. "The district they live in is a considerable distance away. We'll have to teleport again if we want to not waste any time."

"Lead the way Doc," Ranma grinned.

* * *

As the crime scene investigators began to close down the scene, the Diggers home was about to pay host to another visitor. This one was a young university student named Ryo Ashihara. He had been a regular student with a promising future in professional swimming when a near-fatal car accident almost took his life. Somehow, he managed to survive and even so far made a complete recovery. It was deemed nothing short of a miracle, but for some reason the people around him began to avoid him. In trying to reconcile with his girlfriend, he discovered the threat of the Lords and the result of his own transformation into Kamen Rider Gills. Since that day, he decided to understand why his father had killed himself with the aid of a nervous breakdown, having nothing else to do or anyone else to talk to.

Ryo stood at average height with a white shirt and a red leather jacket with brown pants. His hair was brown and spiked, a remnant of his rebellious high school days before he started finding enjoyment in swimming. He rode up to the Diggers' property on a red motocross bike and stopped just short of the entrance. Pushing the bike through the gate and towards the front door, Ryo couldn't help but remember how he managed to meet the Diggers.

It had started when a Jackal Unknown had been targeting a girl named Aki and Gills came to her defence. However, after driving it off the police attempted to capture him in some kind of elaborate plan which could have worked if they were more knowledgeable about Gills power. Still, after G3 had driven him off and preventing more injuries to the police Ryo was able to calm down and transform back to normal. Being in a beast-like state of fury should he fight too long was one of the many flaws that his power gave him. Weakened by the usual drain using his abilities gave him, Ryo was found by Dr. Diggers. The man was worried that Ryo was one of the Unknown, but had done something he called aura magic to discern he was just the opposite during his confrontation with the police. Offering sanctuary and a place to rest in his home, Dr. Diggers brought Ryo to his home and introduced the confused young man to his family.

It was his eldest daughter Gina who found the cellular degeneration was advancing, but her amazing technology also gave him a means of rejuvenating his cells and saving his life, some kind of process that she had apparently reversed engineered from someone she called Peewee. The blonde genius also theorized that if he survived long enough, his body would be able to adapt to the stress that his power put him under and no longer cause such damage to him. What had surprised Ryo the most though was that the entire family was so used to the strange and weird, he didn't rate a second glance. There was curiosity and concern for his welfare, but no fear or suspicion. Alongside Gina's healing machines, Dr. Diggers would coach him through meditation so that he could resist turning feral whenever he transformed into Gills. So far, it was producing results.

The Diggers had done a lot for him, and he hoped to one day repay them for the gift they gave him.

Bringing out the kickstand for his bike, Ryo approached the front door to the Diggers' house and gave it a solid knock. There was silence for a moment before the approaching sounds of feet appeared before the door finally opened, revealing the bespectacled blonde face of Gina Diggers.

"Hey Ryo-kun!" the eldest Diggers daughter smiled. "What brings you our way?"

"Another session with Diggers-sensei," Ryo replied, hefting his helmet under his arm. "Is he in or am I early?"

"Unfortunately, he got called out," Gina sighed, leaning against the doorframe. "There's been another Unknown attack. This one made a woman starve to death in an instant. We've never seen one like it before."

"An Unknown?" Ryo blinked, instantly growing concerned. "Is he by himself?"

"Oh, don't worry, Ranma's with him," Gina reassured the teen. "He's pretty much covered in case anything goes down."

"Still…" Ryo frowned. He didn't like the thought of leaving anyone by themselves against the Unknown, even if they had proven to have a successful track record against them. Then again, if anyone was capable of protecting someone from an Unknown attack, it would have been Ranma. It didn't mean that he had to like it though.

"Would you like to come in?" offered Gina. "Unless the thing attacks again so soon I doubt he'll be out long. The higher ups in the police don't really believe in magic so there's only so much he can do."

"Yeah, even though Ranma, Diggers-sensei, and I are living examples," Ryo scoffed He had never quite forgiven the police for trying to capture him as if he were a wild animal…even if he acted pretty feral when he transformed, but he was getting better. "I suppose I can afford to wait for him a little while."

"Come on in then!" Gina smiled, but she had a gleam in her eyes. As Ryo walked inside and she began closing the door, she spoke, "Say, do you think you could help me out with some tests?"

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

Yakumo Tsukamoto wasn't one considered to be the average high school girl. Although she was a first year, she looked mature enough to be a second or possibly a third year. She had soft-looking skin and ebony hair which reached to her shoulders. Her eyes were a rich brown and angled very well, making her a very welcome sight for all of the boys in her school. In fact, she often had to avoid boys, especially one sempai who never seemed to get the message that she wasn't interested. In all, she even looked more mature than her older sister. She was generally more adept at cooking and such than her sister after their parents had passed away and often even more mature than her older sister emotionally in some ways. However, there was one extraordinary thing about her which she didn't dare tell anyone.

Yakumo Tsukamoto could read minds.

Well, she couldn't read the minds of just anyone. She could just hear the surface thoughts of someone who had strong emotions towards her. In most cases she could hear the thoughts of her older sister Tenma (who often didn't make sense even then) and the numerous boys who were all sporting crushes on her. It made dodging her more persistent admirers like a sempai named Hanai much easier since she could tell what they were going to try and when. However, her tendency to remain distant so to avoid that sort of attention made it difficult for her to make friends. In fact, she only had one friend and that was a girl named Sarah whom had seen how lonely Yakumo was and taken it upon herself to befriend her.

At that moment in time, she was gathering up her book bag and was heading outside. Since it was going to be the full moon later that night, Yakumo's abilities were in high gear, allowing her to hear the thoughts of all the boys around her as they saw her.

'_Tsukamoto-chan's so hot!_'

'_I wish I was her boyfriend!_'

'_How can she still be single?_'

'_Maybe if I time this right I can brush past her and actually touch her!_'

Yakumo kept her features neutral, something she managed to pull off naturally rather than training herself for it. It was the same most days rather than not. Without Sarah to distract her at the moment, she couldn't help but hear the thoughts over and over again. She didn't bear anyone any ill will for it though. Boys had crushes over girls and girls would get crushes on guys. It was just a normal thing. It still got tiresome after a while though.

'_Where are the ones I must kill?_'

Yakumo's eyes widened and she stiffened. Did she really hear that? Was someone actually contemplating murder? The fact that she could hear that thought made it all the worse because the one they had intended to kill was her. She could only hear the thoughts of people who had strong emotions focused on her. At first she had assumed that it was only people he held affection towards her, but the last thought she heard was proof to the contrary.

'_Which one possesses the Seed of Agito?_'

Gulping softly, Yakumo began trying to hide in the masses of students so she couldn't be seen. This voice, it sounded so much different from other people. It was rough and dark. If she dared to even think it, it sounded almost…inhuman. The way it spoke so calmly about murdering someone, most likely her, was frightening. It made the young woman think that maybe it had experience in taking lives.

Despite being in a crowd of people, Yakumo began to feel very alone and vulnerable.

* * *

**Elsewhere…**

A flash of light signalled the appearance of Theo and the two Ranma Saotomes who were travelling with him. Dr. Diggers' face was as serious as ever, having long since gotten used to the methods of travel those in his profession were capable of. Ranma was blinking the light out of his eyes, still very new to the idea of simply teleporting in and out with barely more than a hand gesture or two and a few magic words. Ranma-Agito was much more used to it, but he was rubbing his head, a look of complete confusion on his face.

"Something wrong Ranma?" asked Theo, seeing his youngest daughter's boyfriend acting oddly.

"Just an odd buzzing in my head," Ranma-Agito frowned. "Something…there's something near."

"An Unknown?" asked Theo.

"No. At least, I don't think so," Ranma-Agito replied with a shake of his head. "It's something else. Something familiar."

"Well, I don't recognize this district so it's probably not something you forgot," Ranma offered, although he did know that different worlds meant different situations for his counterparts.

"In any case, try to pay attention in case the feeling gets stronger or weaker," Theo directed the teenage amnesiac. "It could be nothing, but knowing our luck, it will probably be something important in things to come."

"Right," Ranma-Agito nodded, rubbing the side of his head. "So where are we looking for these two?"

"Well, their school is nearby and with the day ending, both of them should be heading home soon," Dr. Diggers answered. "However, we should be able to get into contact with their school to see if we can get a photo of them both."

"Right," Ranma nodded. "Should we try to get a layout of the district here in case we manage to catch this Unknown in the act?"

"We'll start at the school and work out from there," Dr. Diggers nodded. "I'll speak to the faculty while you two check with any students that are still there in clubs or just hanging around."

"Will do Dr. Diggers," Ranma-Agito saluted.

"Then let's go," the aura mage nodded, leading the way for the trio.

* * *

In another part of the district, not too far from where the doctor and the two martial artists had appeared and formulated their search plan, another young man was coming out of a convenience store. In his hand was a bag of groceries which consisted of instant noodles and a few other items which made for something quick and easy to eat. He wore the local high school boys uniform and had something of a reputation around the district, not all of it nice. Still, he didn't seem to be too much of a bad guy as he made his way to his bike.

As he grabbed the handlebar to his bike so he could mount it, he felt a ringing sensation in his head. It wasn't the threatening kind that he was used to, just odd.

"What the heck?" he blinked to himself, rubbing his head. He stood on the spot, staring into space for a while as he tried to comprehend just what it was that was going through his own head for the moment. After a few moments of considering it, he just shrugged his shoulders, adjusted his glasses, and mounted his bike with an "oh well," before taking off and heading for home.

* * *

Both Ranmas and Dr. Diggers had found the school and the aura mage went straight to the main office to ask about the Tsukamoto sisters and where they might be. At the same time, Ranma and Ranma-Agito were busy asking around about the sisters with whichever people were left. The two had taken different parts of the school so that no one would mix the pair of them up and cause some confusion, making the investigation that much more difficult.

"You find anything?" asked Ranma as he met up with his counterpart in the hallways.

"Well, I managed to learn about a Tenma Tsukamoto," Ranma-Agito answered. "If nothing else, she seems to be a bit of a ditz. The local perverts say she's underdeveloped and lacking in feminine areas. They seemed more content to talk about her bustier friends. All I learned is that she has ponytails on the sides on her head and doesn't stand out all that much. If the Unknown is going to go after her then it's going to be for a pretty obscure reason."

"I found out more about Yakumo Tsukamoto, Tenma's little sister even though she supposedly looks much more mature," Ranma replied, recalling what he got in terms of information. "Almost every guy I talked to said how much they want to date her. She doesn't seem very close to anyone except this one girl named Sarah. Lots of guys seem to want to follow her to try and get a date but it's like she can tell when they're going to try. She has her problems with stalkers. Apparently this guy named Hanai has been trying so hard to get a date he followed her to every club she tried. She joined the Tea Ceremony Club simply because they banned the guy."

"No mention about anything that makes her stand out?" asked Ranma-Agito.

"Other than her seemingly supernatural ability to dodge her fanboys, not really," Ranma shrugged. "Is this Unknown really going to try after these girls?"

"They go after all of the immediate relatives of their initial victims and then spread out from there," Ranma-Agito sighed. "It never fails. We still haven't managed to figure out why they do it though."

"Maybe Dr. Diggers has something more then," Ranma muttered. He hated being in the dark about something. His father did it all the time with the stupid engagements he made, always thinking that if he didn't talk or think about them, they'd go away. Generally, he did it with every problem he didn't want to face, but that was just about every problem he ever had to deal with be it Happosai, fiancées he set up just for edible dowries, people he'd cheated, etc. Situations like those would have been a whole lot simpler if Ranma had managed to get some early warning about what idiocy someone had pulled and didn't want to talk about. Instead, he'd been all but blindsided by the people involved and had to end up thinking on his feet which tended to get some people mad if he couldn't think of something good.

"If he does, then we'd better ask him," Ranma-Agito nodded. "I don't think we're going to find anything more with the students."

"Good since I managed to find some information from the office."

"BWAH!" the two Ranmas cried out in shock as the new voice suddenly spoke up behind them. Turning to see who had appeared, both boys discovered the slightly amused face of Dr. Diggers watching the both of them recover from their sudden heart attacks.

"Where'd you come from Doc?" asked Ranma, trying to slow his heart down.

"Yeah. Did you teleport or something?" asked Ranma-Agito. "You know how much it freaks me out when you just pop in like that behind me!"

"Actually, I just came from the main office and sensed your auras and walked over to you," Theo smiled with no small amount of amusement. Hardened fighters like the two boys in front of him being scared so suddenly by a retired aura mage like him was always funny to see. It reminded him of when he first brought his wife back to Earth and showed her what life was like...until she started trashing things thinking they were monsters. Filing the amusement and the memory of what got him recruited by Agent M so long ago, Theo returned his mind to the task at hand. "I managed to get the address of the two girls. There are no clubs going on today so more than likely they're both heading home right now."

"Then we'd better get a move on," Ranma frowned. "We don't know what kind of Unknown we're dealing with or what it's capable of."

"You read my mind," Theo nodded. "I'll lead the way. Just make sure you don't fall behind."

"Hey, we'd be more worried about moving too fast for your old bones Dr. Diggers," Ranma-Agito chuckled.

"I may be retired by I'm far from old," Theo smirked slightly. "My girls can certainly attest to that after some of our adventures.

The good-natured barb did give some optimism to the three males as they headed for the exit of the school. Despite the optimism, they just hoped that they could find their way to the Tsukamoto house and hopefully save a pair of innocent girls before the new Unknown could get to them first.

* * *

_I grow tired of waiting!_

_You have no patience!_

_Be at ease, they have arrived._

_And what of our brother?_

_He is close to completing his task._

* * *

Any home where the Diggers family resided was never a place to be called peaceful. At any given time there could be explosions from peebos, evil genetically altered minions, wererat invaders, or the odd magical undead being which vowed horrible revenge on those responsible for his imprisonment. As such, it wasn't such a huge surprise for someone or something to be attacking the home of the (in)famous Diggers family.

Unfortunately, one of those incidents were about to begin.

Approaching the front of the house was a pair of beings which were dubbed as Unknown. The first was donned in heavy brown furs around the forearms and shins with golden bracelets pinning them down. Its torso was that of a male, decorated with strange tattoos that didn't seem to belong with any known civilization. Its shoulders were covered with black steel shoulder pads which had spikes rising from the middle. It wore a brown fur loincloth with gold pins decorating it. Its head resembled that of a bear with metal earrings on the rounded ears. Underneath the muzzle of the mask were the Unknowns shiny metallic teeth, clenched tightly. Pinned on the Unknown's chest was a wing-like badge while on its back, peeking out from underneath the fur located there were a pair of brown wings with white tips.

The second was similarly constructed, but wore a shroud of brown fur which concealed the breasts of its female body. Its face was covered with the brown face-like mask of a bear mask with a porcelain face beneath it with red lips. Fur was wrapped around her forearms and shins, decorated with blue stones. Her midriff was bare and covered with runic markings. Like her male counterpart, she wore a brown fur loincloth decorated with sapphires. A similar badge to her partner's was on her chest as were a similar pair of wings growing from her back.

Ursus Maximus and Ursus Gladius both approached the property line of the Diggers home. Maximus simply stared at the walls before he reached out and tried to touch the wall itself. Before his clawed fingers could even scratch the surface of the wall, a blue barrier appeared and repelled him with a hissing crackling noise. The Bear Lord recoiled with a growl, his fingers smoking from the contact with the barrier that the elder of the home had constructed since the last attack.

Gladius snickered before the halo which was common with all Unknown. Reaching up to the shining disk, the Bear Lord retrieved a decorated staff and pulled it down to reveal not only the staff, but a large war hammer decorated with bear-like claws hanging on the shaft. The head itself was flat and decorated with a strange marking while its back end shifted into a solid iron spike. To Ursus Gladius, it was her Utopian Protectorate. Taking the weapon, she reared back and unleashed a powerful blow against the blue barrier of the Diggers home. The barrier rippled and again crackled angrily at the assault, but it didn't repel the assault.

Ursus Maximus made his own growling noise before his own halo appeared and he drew his own weapon from the light. It was similarly decorated, but at the top of the shaft was a double-headed war hammer which had spiked faces and seemed much more deadly than Gladius' weapon. Dubbbed, the Dystopian Endbringer, the Bear Lord approached the blue barrier and stood next to his comrade. The two Lords looked to each other before exchanging a nod. Rearing back their weapons, they unleashed a double attack on the barrier. The weapons clashed against the blue energy, making in ripple and convulse violently. Seeing weakness, the two Lords reared back and unleashed a second assault, striking the barrier yet again. This time, the barrier broke apart like fine china, the pieces dissolving before they could touch the ground.

Satisfied, the two Lords stabbed their weapons into the ground before slowly dragging their left hand index and middle fingers from their collar bones to their hearts. After that, they ran their right hand fingers across their knuckles twice. Prayer complete and permission to sin achieved, they picked up their weapons and began to march across the Diggers property.

* * *

**Inside…**

Ryo was sitting inside the main living room, enjoying some tea when he felt it. His natural instincts began to yell violently at him, screaming in battle rage. Dropping his cup, he began to cringe and clench his head as the rage of Gills became louder and louder. Ryo had long since grown accustomed to Gills' battle lust and knew that the only reason it was beginning to spike was because there was something that it had considered an enemy approaching.

"Ryo-kun?" asked Gina in concern, she, her sisters, and their mother growing worried at the sight of their guest beginning to show signs of pain. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Un…Unknown!" the former university student grunted as he stood up. "They're nearby!"

"Nearby?" asked Brittany. "But Dad put up a barrier to keep them out!"

"They got through!" Ryo grunted, getting to his feet and dashing towards the door.

"Hey! Ryo! Wait!" Gina cried, trying to chase after the young man.

Ryo wasn't in the state of mind to listen as he dashed through the front door. Throwing it open, he ran out to the front lawn, but didn't move very far before skidding to a halt. Behind him, the three Diggers daughters and their mother came to a stop behind him. The reason for their sudden halt was because rather than Unknown trying to break into the edge of the property, two bear-like Unknown were instead halfway across the lawn and were already getting closer, both armed with large hammers.

"Okay…so they did get through," Gina gulped.

"Girls, I want all of you to get inside, right now," Julia frowned, pulling back her shortest daughter by the shoulder. Brittany and Brianna both looked on reluctantly at the two Unknown and their friend, but they obeyed their mother. As tough as she was, Brittany knew that even she wasn't immune to the instant kill attacks that the Unknown used to take down their targets. Brianna didn't have any of her weapons on her either. Reluctantly, they did as their mother told them, all of them being unarmed or unprotected.

"Ryo, can you hold out long enough for us to get what we need?" Julia asked, pushing her daughters towards the house.

"Easily," Ryo growled, his voice sounding deeper and more animalistic. Glancing at the Diggers family, he watched them retreat to their house. Looking back at the advancing Bear Unknown, Ryo crossed his arms in front of his face, his growl growing louder. With a snarl, he brought his arms down to his waist before calling out, "Henshin!"

A white light surrounded Ryo as his form seemed to vanish like it was fading from existence. As his body was vanishing, another one began taking its place. The new form was donned in a kind of organic armour which covered him from head to toe. It glistened in the light and had gold bracelets around his ankles and wrists. His fingers with sharp and a pair of blades extended from his heels. Around his waist was a strange belt which looked to have a golden eye buckle with a green stone in the centre. Crowning the new form was a green helmet which looked like it had a silver mouth plate with large red eyes, topped off with green horns and a yellow stone in the centre of his forehead.

His change complete, Kamen Rider Gills unleashed an inhuman bellow of rage which echoed across the sky.

The Lords were not intimidated as they gripped their weapons and continued their approach. Gills charged right back at them with his Gills Claws out. He was ready to clash with these monsters.

* * *

**Elsewhere…**

Yakumo was walking at a brisk pace down the street, hoping to get home quickly. She hadn't forgotten that inhuman voice which spoke so casually about killing people, likely her since she could hear their thoughts. She didn't know who had such thoughts, but she wasn't going to stick around to find out. She just wanted to get home and lock all the doors and windows so she could at least feel safe and maybe call the police or something. Of course, proving what she overheard might be tough since no one would believe she could hear people's thoughts.

"Yakumo-chan!"

"Ah!" the younger Tsukamoto gasped softly, whipping around. Looking to see who had called her, she witnessed four girls approaching her. All of them were wearing the same school uniform that she did, indicating that they went to the same school as she. The one in the lead was shorter than her and looked a little immature compared to her friends. She had long black hair and kept some of it tied into ponytails on the sides of her head near her temples. She may not have appeared to look like it, but she was Tenma Tsukamoto, Yakumo's older sister.

With Tenma were her three closest friends. The first was Eri Sawachika. She had natural blonde hair which she kept up in two ponytails with red bows. She was half British but unlike some people with mixed heritage who received scorn, all of the boys in school thought she was gorgeous and liked to chase her. Since her father was a big businessman, she didn't get much hassle from adults either. She was kind of a fickle person and perhaps a little spoiled, but she was nice enough.

Second was Mikoto Suo. She was likely the tallest of the group and had black hair which was somewhat like a pageboy style. She was very athletic and excelled at numerous kinds of sports. She was easy to get along with even though she was a little inexperienced with guys and she tried to hide it by being tough. However, Yakumo couldn't understand why she would be inexperienced since she had heard Mikoto had some of the biggest breasts in her class, if not her year or the school.

Lastly was Akira Takano. Out of all of Tenma's friends, Yakumo knew the least about her. She was slim and athletic with short black hair, but her eyes spoke of calm seriousness which brooked no time for fooling around. Yakumo heard she had a ton of part-time jobs at any given time and Tenma once said she had the money to show for it once or twice. Still, something about her seemed very different from ordinary schoolgirls.

"Nee-chan," Yakumo sighed softly. "You scared me."

"Sorry!" Tenma giggled. "Hey, we were all going to do some karaoke!"

"More like you decided to drag us all since Karasuma was writing music today," Eri muttered under her breath.

"Do you want to come with us?" Tenma asked, completely missing Eri's muttered comment even if none of the other girls did.

"Well…I…um…" Yakumo mumbled. She was really out of sorts after what she had heard at school. She got awkward enough in social situations as it was, being used to keeping people at a distance, but now it would just be that much worse for her after her day.

Noticing Yakumo's indecision, Mikoto raised an eyebrow, "You okay Yakumo? You seem off today."

"Well…" the younger Tsukamoto frowned.

"Something's bothering you," Akira commented. "Did someone say something to you?"

"Oh, I bet it was a guy confessing, wasn't it?" Eri teased. "I always knew you'd be raking in confessions just like me!"

"I…" Yakumo gulped.

'_There they are!_'

Yakumo stiffened as she heard the inhuman voice again. Her worst fears were now confirmed, it was targeting her and it had followed her! Disregarding her sister and her friends, she began to look around in all directions, trying discern where the voice had come from, growing more panicked in the process.

"Yakumo?" asked Tenma with concern. "What's wrong?"

Yakumo didn't reply as she tried futilely to find the source of the voice.

'_My Lord and creator, please grant me the permission to sin,_' the voice spoke again.

Yakumo began to sweat.

"Hey, Yakumo?" asked Mikoto.

'_Permission has been granted!_'

If possible, Yakumo began to pale even further.

"Yakumo?"

'_For the sake of humanity, they must die!_'

"Yakumo!"

"…we have to run," was all the younger Tsukamoto sibling squeaked out.

"Huh?" Tenma blinked in confusion, her friends doing the same.

Any kind of questioning was cut off when a heavy breathing noise began to sound off behind the four girls. At first they all wanted to believe that they were simply hearing things or something, but the pale face of Yakumo and the mounting terror which was part of it just made it evident that they were not fortunate enough to be hearing anything. Slowly, almost fearfully (cautiously in Akira's case) they turned around to see what was scaring Yakumo so badly.

What they found was the grinning face of what would later be classified as the Urchin Lord. Nearly all of the girls turned pale at the sight of the monster save for Akira, whose face didn't seem to change a bit even when faced with the kaijin. For a moment neither side seemed to move, one side frozen in terror while the other was just watching them as if it were waiting for something specific to happen before it could do anything else.

A moment passed.

The girls began to realize they weren't dreaming or seeing things.

The Urchin Unknown exhaled deeply and began to advance.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

* * *

**Elaewhere…**

"ERGH!"

The glasses-wearing young man hit the brakes to his bike and came to a screeching halt, clutching his head while ignoring the cries from the people sharing the road around him and nearby pedestrians in favour of clutching his head. Closing his eyes, he saw images flashing across his vision. He could see flashes of a bunch of girls staring in fear at something. He could then see flashes of an Unknown with spikes coming out of its head. He could see the monster drawing closer to the girls, each of them he managed to recognize.

"Crap!" the young man hissed as the visions ended. Pulling the handlebars to his bike, he turned it to the opposite direction before gunning it for all he was worth.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

* * *

Ranma and Ranma-Agito both became alert as the scream reached their ears. Theo wasn't far behind as he likewise heard the noise which consisted of screaming girls. They had been walking towards the Tsukamoto house when the scream had sounded off. Obviously, they had been on the right track if the cries were any indication. All three of them immediately took action and began running towards what they believed to be the source.

"Please don't let us be too late," Ranma-Agito grimaced as he ran as hard as he could.

"We won't be," Dr. Diggers reassured his almost-son-in-law.

"This Unknown won't know what hit it," Ranma nodded.

Cutting a corner and dashing past some very confused pedestrians, the three men emerged on the scene of the scream's source. It wasn't surprising to them when they saw the form of the Urchin Unknown calmly approaching a group of five girls, all of them struggling to get away.

"Oh no you don't!" Theo growled, magical energy enveloping his hands. Thrusting his arms out, a pulse of magical power surged towards the Unknown, instantly catching its attention before a sphere of power enveloped it completely. The kaijin growled in annoyance before reaching out to touch the barrier, but quickly found that it resisted any attempts to move it. Both Ranmas quickly saw this as their opportunity and dashed towards the scene, their goal the group of five girls who were struck silent by what had just happened.

"What are you waiting for? Run!" Ranma-Agito cried as he and his dimensional counterpart reached the small group. It served to snap the girls out of their surprise before they began picking themselves up and made a break for safety, leaving the scene behind.

The Unknown seethed at seeing the girls running away. Growling, a halo of light appeared above its head. Reaching up, the kaijin stuck its hands inside of the halo before pulling them back out filled with urchin-like caltrops. The Lord had them dubbed as Abyssal Caltrops, its weapon of choice against enemies. Growling, it took the caltrops before slamming them against the barrier which Theo had erected around the kajin, separating it from its prey.

BOOM!

"Woah!" both Ranmas cried, shielding their faces from the heat and light. The Lord's caltrops had exploded upon impact, shredding the barrier which Theo had constructed, letting it fade away from existence. Smoke filled the immediate area, but quickly dissipated, leaving the Urchin Lord free, none the worse for wear save for the smoke coming from its hands.

"I think its time for the part we love," Ranma frowned, drawing the Decadriver.

"I think it is," Ranma-Agito agreed, light beginning to shine from his waist.

The light solidified into Ranma-Agito's belt, his means of transforming. Bringing his left arm back to his waist, his hand clenched into a fist, he drew back his right arm with his palm facing up. Slowly, feeling the power beginning to rise, he pushed out his right arm like a tai chi manoeuvre. When his arm reached its full length, he cried out, "Henshin!" before slapping the buttons on the sides of his belt, unleashing more shining light.

Ranma strapped the Decadriver to his waist and opened it with practiced ease. Siding his Decade card out of the Ride Booker, he held it out before crying, "Henshin!" and slid it inside the Decadriver before shutting it tightly.

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!**"

The shining light enveloped one Ranma while the other was covered in the images of a suit of armour. Light shone brilliantly, but quickly died down, leaving one Ranma Saotome which was native to the current world donned in the armour of Kamen Rider Agito. The other Ranma's armour became solid before the red panels emerged from his belt and converged on his helmet, filling the suit with colour, becoming Kamen Rider Decade once again.

"Dr. Diggers, go see if those girls are okay!" Agito called out to the older man. "We'll handle this guy!"

"Right," Theo nodded. Heading in the direction that the girls had run, he looked back at the two young men, "You two be careful! Julia and Brianna probably won't forgive me if something happened to either of you!"

"Right!" the two Riders agreed.

Snarling, the Urchin Lord drew more of his Abyssal Caltrops before slinging them at the Riders. Acting quickly, both Riders got away from the target area as the caltrops hit the pavement, making explosion after explosion. The pair of fighters, rather than be distracted by the attacks, focused solely on the Unknown which was attempting to destroy them. Both Riders looked at the spot in which the caltrops had exploded before looking to each other.

"As Gina-san would say, 'jinkies!'" Agito commented, looking back at the Lord.

Decade had to agree with the strange, but somehow oddly appropriate remark as he kept his eyes on the Urchin Lord. Already it was retrieving more weapons and preparing to use them on the pair. Deciding that the kaijin had enough target practice for the evening, he charged at it with as much speed as he could muster. As expected, the enemy threw its caltrops, but Decade had lon since mastered the art of dodging projectile weapons since Mousse started dogging him. Weaving past the weapons, they exploded against the concrete, leaving clouds of smoke.

"Too slow!" Decade cried, punching the Urchin Lord in the face, making it grunt in pain and stumble backwards.

"Leave some for me!"

The voice of Agito came through the smoke as the golden Kamen Rider leaped from the fog and came down with a powerful axe kick which caught the Urchin Lord in the head and knocked it silly. Snarling, the monster grabbed more caltrops from its halo and threw them with abandon. As expected, both Kamen Riders managed to avoid the attack as they began to move to the Unknown's sides. All that was truly accomplished was general mayhem and destruction…which was more or less the norm for both the Riders so they didn't bat an eye.

Decade stared down the monster as he spied Agito getting in position behind it. The Urchin Lord seemed rather miffed at how easily it was being dodged and its attitude wasn't getting any better if the murderous glare in its eyes were any indication, but Decade still couldn't resist bringing out more of that anger. He really wanted to see this monster taken down after all.

"So, you like picking off innocent people eh?" he asked the Urchin Lord. It began to come out as his usual taunts, but the anger in his voice quickly made it into something else. "Does it make you feel tough? Powerful? Mighty? Just why the heck did you decide to pick off that innocent lady? What reason did you have for killing her?"

"Decade…the Unknown don't," Agito began to speak.

"_She had overstepped her limits,_" the growling voice of the Urchin lord answered.

The voice brought Agito's sentence to a halt and made Decade blink.

"_She had exceeded her place,_" the Urchin Lord answered. "_For the sake of humanity, she had to be removed before she became a threat._"

"…what?" Decade blinked.

Agito was still gaping, "…the Unknown…can talk?"

The Urchin Lord just growled as he retrieved more of his caltrops, ignoring Agito for the moment as he kept his eyes on Decade, "_Decade. Agito. For the sake of humanity, you must die!_" Decade and Agito both snapped back into their combative states of mind as the Urchin lord prepared for another attack. As the fight was about to continue, the sounds of tires squealing echoed through the area. Normally it wouldn't have stopped the fight, but when several military-grade humvees began turning onto the street, it was a cause for notice.

The vehicles skidded to a halt, circling the two Riders and the Lord in a spacious, but tight circle. No sooner did they stop then soldiers dressed in military combat uniforms began spilling out from within. It sort of reminded Decade of that time he snuck into a circus when he was young and saw clowns piling out of a car which was too small to hold the amount which came out, only this wasn't nearly as funny since the men were all dressed to fight and were all holding automatic rifles. The soldiers just continued lining the circle of cars and began pointing their weapons at the three in the centre.

"Agito?" Deade asked his counterpart with more than a little confusion.

"Don't look at me! I don't know who they are!" the gold Rider shot back.

"_More annoyances,_" the Urchin Lord growled, gripping his caltrops.

Decade just watched as each of the soldiers kept their rifles trained on him and the others in the circle. This did not look good…

To Be Continued…

Next time on Journey Through the Decade:

Dr. Diggers: What on Earth do you think you're doing?

Soldier: Eliminating threats to the people!

Decade: Then aim at the monster, not at us!

?: Now…my system is truly INVINICBLE!

?: You have committed a sin which cannot be forgiven…

A/N: Yo! I'm alive! Sorry for so little update action but real life gets in the way and inspiration can be few and far between. Anyway, here's the beginning of Agito World and I hope you all enjoy it. I have to be honest though, Agito wasn't one of my favourites so I fear that this chapter may not be up to the same quality as the others. However, your opinion is what will tell me if I'm right or not so please let me know.


	11. Agito's Shining Light

I do not own Ranma nor do I own Kamen Rider Decade nor do I own Ranma. I only write about them for fun and not profit. If you want to argue otherwise then feel free, but nothing will really result from it.

Journey Through the Decade

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 11: Agito's Shining Light

**Diggers Residence**

"GRAAAHHH!"

The peace of the Diggers home, as rare as it was on any given day, was shattered by that primal roar. Out in the front lawn, Kamen Rider Gills was fighting off a pair of Bear Lords which had managed to overpower the protective barrier surrounding the property. It was pretty obvious that the pair wanted the Diggers family in its entirety, but sheer fortune allowed Ryo Ashihara to be present at the time of their invasion, permitting him to feel their approach and thus bring him to attack them. While the remaining Diggers were collecting weapons so to take up the fight, it left Gills to fight the two Lords by himself. Unfortunately, as strong as Gills was in a fight, he was far from invincible and/or unbeatable.

The Bear Unknown, Ursus Maximus (male) and Ursus Gladius (female) were both wielding no doubt heavy war hammers against Gills, swinging at him with ease. Maximus was quite clearly the stronger of the pair, being able to swing his own hammer with the ease of someone swinging a baton. Gladius on the other hand was faster, able to match Gills' agility as he tried to strike the pair only to receive the shaft of the female Lord's weapon. What was worse, both were obviously used to fighting together in how they were able to make up for each others' weaknesses. Where Gladius would be able to hold off Gills, Maximus would be able to take advantage of the openings she presented. When Maximus was fighting Gills, Gladius would use her speed and agility to strike vulnerable points on the imperfect Agito's body. It was an impressive show of teamwork, but not good for Gills.

Continuing to bellow with animalistic fury, Gills charged again with his organic blades extended, ready to cut up the two Unknown as much as he possibly could. Pouncing, Gills jumped through the air with his sights on Ursus Maximus, classifying him as a greater threat for the moment. The Bear Lord reacted quickly, raising his weapon to block the bone-like blades from cutting into his hide. The sounds of metal scraping against metal echoed through the immediate area, signalling just how strong Gills' blades were. However, as strong as they were they just weren't strong enough to cut through the material which made the shaft of the Dystopian Endbringer. Gills merely snarled at the lack of pain inflicted on the Ursus Maximus and reared back his arm for another attempt…

CRACK!

"GRAAAHH!"

Gills bellowed once again, this time in pain as the Utopian Protectorate wielded by the Ursus Gladius buried itself into the Rider's side. Gills immediately folded, the sheer brute force behind the blow causing even him to cringe and double over from the pain. Ursus Maximus treated the action like an engraved invitation. Rearing back his Dystopian Destroyer, he unleashed an underhand swing which smashed the face of his hammer into Gills' face. The feral Rider was launched backwards, his head striking the ground with enough force to leave an indent. Green ooze spattered from his mandibles, indicating that the injury was considerable, enough to actually cut Gills' hide. The Kamen Riders' vision swam from the force which he had been struck with mixed with the force which he had met the ground at. Everything was a blur as the two Unknown loomed above him. There was no doubt that a regular human would not have survived the blows he had just taken, but the two bear-like kaijin were definitely going to fix that in the next moment. Both Lords looked down at the dazed Gills before raising their hammers for the final blow.

BANG! BANG!

Sparks flew from the pair of hammers as bullets impacted against their heads, knocking them to the ground, surprising the pair of Unknown. Disregarding Gills for the moment, both Bear Lords turned to the front of the Diggers property in which the shots had come from. To their reasonable shock, standing at the front gate with a smoking Dienddriver in his hand was none other than the grinning Kaitoh, donned in a leather jacket with jeans and a blank white t-shirt and a satchel slung over his shoulder.

"Maa, maa, I thought I was following a solid lead into an awesome treasure when here I see Gills getting double teamed," the grinning thief snickered as he began to approach. While he may have been talking calmly, the firm grip on his Diendriver and its unwavering direction at the two Lords hinted how serious he saw the situation. Still grinning, he continued, "Gills may be an imperfect Agito, but he's still a pretty valuable guy. I'll give you this one chance to back away and leave. Sound fair?"

"_You dare try to tell US what to do, human?_" Ursus Maximus snarled as he hefted his weapon again.

"_You forget your place, human,_" Ursus Gladius agreed, bringing up her own war hammer.

"Are you kidding? I know exactly what my place is," Kaitoh laughed, dropping his satchel. Without letting his aim waver even once, he drew his Diend Kamen ride card from his pocket and held it up for the two Lords to see. "I'm a Kamen Rider who's looking for some treasure. Remember that!" Slipping the card into the side slot, Kaitoh extended the barrel, starting its primary function.

"**Kamen Ride**"

"Henshin!"

"**Diend!**"

Pulling the trigger to his weapon, Kaitoh shot out several blue panels as red, blue, and green images of armour began to swirl around him. Without waiting for the change to finish, he charged towards the two Lords, no fear or hesitation in his attacks. As he was halfway between his starting point and where the two Unknown stood, the images converged on him, covering him in his armour before the blue panels attached to his helmet, filling the suit with colour.

"_What?_" demanded Ursus Maximus.

"_Another unnatural!_" hissed Ursus Gladius.

"Unnatural?" asked Diend with a mock-pout. "I'm a complete natural at what I do! Here, let me show you!"

Diend suddenly became a blur as he charged at the two Unknown which a near unbelievable amount of speed. It was nowhere near fast enough to match the likes of Kabuto and Gatack in their world, but it was more than enough to catch the two Lords off guard and make them look absolutely sluggish. Diend closed the gap between himself and his opponents in a heartbeat, being close enough to see the whites of his opponents' eyes. Rearing back, he slugged Ursus Maximus across the face, making the male Lord stumble before twisting on the spot, backhanding Ursus Gladius in one efficient movement. Both Lords sufficiently distracted, Diend continued his charge, skidding to a halt in front of the downed Gills who was finally managing to recover.

"Jeez. You've got to be more careful Gills," Diend sighed, hoisting the green Rider up to his feet with only one hand. "You're a pretty valuable treasure you know."

"Wha-?" the feral Rider managed to grunt out, apparently still not completely recovered in the head from the swift beating he had taken from the Lords.

"You take a breather," Diend chuckled, slapping his fellow Rider's shoulder. Looking back to the two kaijin, he drew another one of his cards. Slotting it, he pointed it at the pair before extending the barrel, "I've got this under control."

"**Attack Ride: Blast!**"

Diend unleashed several blue bolts of energy which cut through the air and collided with the two Unknown heavily. Both monsters cried out and stumbled backwards, the charged bolts having a greater impact on their bodies than the regular rounds did. Both kaijin stumbled backwards, trying to get some space between themselves and the one who was shooting at them. The blue Diemsnional Rider just snickered and reset his weapon, ready to get another card slotted into it.

"Now watch how a professional does it," Diend spoke to Gills before preparing to advance on the two Unknown.

"RYO!"

Diend halted in his approach when he heard female voices shout out at who he assumed to be Gills. Looking back to the house in which the fight had been happening in front of, he spotted the front door open and four women spilled out with Kasumi Tendo at the back, watching on in concern. Normally that really wouldn't be much of a concern beyond bystanders getting in the way, but Diend was quickly finding himself suitably distracted by their sudden appearance.

The first was a bespectacled blonde with glasses who was definitely not lacking in the bust department and was holding some kind of cybernetic-looking weapon. She looked like she was ready for business, even if the other girls were making sure to keep behind her as she hefted the weapon. The second girl was noticeably taller with pointed ears and black spots in her hair. She looked practically feline and with a killer figure which was only matched by the killer outlook on the sizable gun which was hefted over her shoulder and the power armour which adorned her body. Thirdly was a tall mature woman with red hair and had muscles in all the right places and didn't detract from her figure at all. The sword in her hand just gave her an Amazonian look which made her all the sexier. Lastly though…

"Oh my god…" Diend gaped at the werecheetah which was emerging from the house with her own basic armour on her arms and torso, apparently used to protect her but keep her legs free, assumedly for speed. Of course, Diend didn't take notice of this, preferring to see her bombshell figure, oh so sexy legs, and the bust that was the envy of many, many women the world over. In short, Diend felt he was looking at a miracle on Earth.

"A real live neko-onna!" the blue Rider gaped quite openly, not caring for the confused looks he was getting from the four women as they were coming from the house. He wasn't even paying attention to the two Unknown behind him or Gills who was at his side. Faced with the arrival of the four super-babes and his current battle with the Unknown, Diend knew what he had to do…

"SCREW THIS!" he snapped loudly, drawing two of his Kamen Ride cards. Slotting them into is gun, he pointed at the two Lords.

"**Kamen Ride: Accel!**"

"**Kamen Ride: Chalice!**"

"You guys take care of this!" Diend cried, pulling the trigger of his weapon. Two spheres of energy fired from the barrel and flew at the pair of kaijin. Both orbs crossed the distance before exploding into light only a foot from the pair, sending images of red, green, and blue bouncing all over the immediate area. The first set of images converged together to form a Kamen Rider almost completely covered in red. He had a red bodysuit with red boots which were thick with silver machinery on them and what seemed to be half a wheel. His torso armour was likewise red with a grille like a car on the abdomen while a black apparatus with another wheel was attached to his back. His shoulders were pointed and his hands were covered with black and red gloves, one of which was holding a sword which seemed to be a cross between, a sword, a gun, and an engine. His helmet was similar to that of a race car driver with a blue visor. The visor was bisected by a sharp silver 'A' that rose up and acted like a horn.

This was one of the heroes of Double no Sekai, Kamen Rider Accel.

The second Rider was donned in a black bodysuit with gold markings running along the sides. Wrapped around his waist was a silver buckle with a red heart centre with a slit through it. His arms and shins had gauntlets which looked like sections of steel folded over one another. His torso matched his bodysuit, mainly black and gold with a red heart in the centre. Finally, his helmet was shaped not unlike a mantis' hear, with antennae rising from the top with a red heart acting as the visor. The mouth guard was silver and positioned to look almost like mandibles. To complete the look was the Rider's weapon, a silver bow with a hollow in the centre complete with razor edges, perfect for long range and short range attacks.

This was Kamen Rider Chalice, one of the heroes of Blade no Sekai.

"You guys take care of this!" Diend ordered abruptly a second time, glancing over his shoulder several times just to make sure that the gorgeous cat-woman didn't disappear from his sight for too long and vanish for good like a daytime dream. Seeing the two Riders nod before taking stances against the two Unknown, Diend quickly turned away and charged for the front of the house. He quickly skidded to a halt in front of the four ladies, his eyes staying trained on the cheetah girl more than the others.

"Hi there," he greeted smoothly, as if a death match between Riders and kaijin wasn't about to start behind him. "I'm Kamen Rider Diend, but you can call me Kaitoh-kun if you'd like."

* * *

**Elsewhere…**

Decade frowned as he eyed the situation he and his Agito counterpart had found themselves in. Both Riders and Dr. Theodore Diggers had gone on the hunt for the relatives of a woman murdered by an Unknown earlier that day. They managed to find the girls just as the Unknown, this one of an urchin variety, was about to make its attack. Both martial artists quickly transformed into their Kamen Rider personas and went to stop the monster before any more innocent lives were lost. However, in the middle of the fight several military humvees pulled onto the scene and produced several men in combat outfits, all armed with rifles who immediately took aim at the fighters, Unknown and Rider alike.

"Is this normal?" asked Decade.

"No! I've never seen these guys before!" Agito replied, his eyes trained on both the Unknown and the soldiers aiming at them.

"_Hrrrrrr,_" the Unknown growled irritably.

"I dare you freaks to move," one of the soldiers, a grizzled man who looked like he'd been in the wild fighting animals for a few days growled. His finger looked like it was ready to pull the trigger. It was a gesture that the other soldiers in the circle seemed all too eager to copy, each of them sharing a dark gleam in their eyes.

"Hey, the Unknown's over there!" Agito snapped, pointing at the Urchin Lord. "We're the one's trying to help so stop pointing those guns at us!"

"You're just as much a threat as the Unknown are Agito!" the same soldier snapped. "If you want to see if you're weird powers can stop bullets then just try to move!"

"You've got to be kidding," Decade grumbled. It wasn't enough that they had to deal with the Unknown in this world, but he also had to deal with a xenophobic military team too? Did the gods seem to think that he was having it too easy already by fighting off a huge variety of monsters over the course of several worlds, but now he had to deal with the human population going up against him too? It really went to prove that sometimes it just wasn't worth getting out of bed. Still, the only question to answer now was; how were Decade and his Agito counterpart going to get out of this situation.

In the usual style for Ranma's life, something occurred which rather than resolve the situation like most people would have hoped, it ended up making the situation several times worse. In this case, the Urchin Lord decided that it wasn't going to buckle down to a bunch of humans with their guns and instead went on the offensive again. Grabbing more of its Abyssal Caltrops, it tossed them in all directions, aimed directly at the soldiers who were attempting to stop it. The caltrops immediately went off, exploding in heat and flames. The soldiers immediately began to scatter while others were sent flying by the blasts.

"No!" Agito cried, seeing the results of the Unknown's attack. Turning his attention to the kaijin, he let out an enraged growl. "You-!" Bellowing in rage, Agito charged at the Unknown, unleashing a powerful right cross which smashed into the monster's face making it stumble from the force. It didn't stay stunned long as it recovered and made a counterattack on its hated foe.

Decade wasn't idle as he put his Ride Booker into sword mode and charged at the Unknown, intent on stopping it before it harmed anyone else. Approaching the fight, he unleashed a slash upon the monster. Sparks ripped off the kaijin's hide as it felt the blow, but it didn't do much to deviate it from its intent on destroying both Riders. Instead, it simply summoned more caltrops and with the short distance between itself and the Riders, shoved them into their chests. The resounding explosion sent both riders flying back before they touched ground and skidded a few more feet for good measure before coming to a stop.

"…ow," Decade groaned as he began to stand up. "Reminds me of the old perv's bombs."

"Feels like I get that treatment all the time," Agito grunted as he got to his feet first. Moving in a flourish, he slapped the button on the left side of his belt, making the centre of the object begin to shine bright blue. A shining ripple then spread out from the belt, making Agito's form more difficult to see. What could be seen in the ripples seemed to change to a shade of blue before dying down and revealing Agito once again. His left arm was covered in blue armour while his shoulder had grown into a round section with a gold band crossing the side. His chest armour had likewise changed, turning the same shade as his arm armour. Reaching to his belt with his left hand, Agito let his belt shine again before what seemed to be a blue baton emerged from the core into his waiting hand. Raising the blue baton which sported wing-like gold ends, Decade watched the ends unfold to become bladed tips, perfect for fighting with.

Now in his Storm Form, Agito charged forward once again at the Urchin Lord. The kaijin didn't even slow down as it pulled more caltrops and hurled them at the approaching Rider. Agito reacted quickly, using his halberd to bat the caltrops to the wayside, blowing up sections of road along the way. Quickly out of ammo and with Agito still approaching, the Urchin Lord attempted to draw more caltrops so to defend itself. However, that plain failed when Agito leaped across the remaining distance and used a diagonal slash which cut across the Lord's chest, making it cry out in pain while it stumbled backwards

Decade just grunted as he stood up and shook the stars from his head, "Oh no, you're not leaving me out of this!" gripping the Ride Booker, he charged at the battling pair, ready to lend a hand.

Meanwhile, one of the soldiers who were keeping back in case the Unknown tried to get them with another bomb reached to his belt for a portable radio. Quickly activating it, he brought it up to his lips, "Situation is critical. Taichou, we need G4!"

"_Confirmed. Going in hot,_" the voice on the other side answered.

* * *

**Diggers Residence**

"Uh…huh?" Brittany blinked at the sudden flirty introduction of the blue-armoured man on their front lawn.

Brittany, her sisters, and their mother had all come storming out of the house with Genn and Kasumi taking up the rear so to start laying some smackdown on the two Unknown which had managed to get past her father's barrier and maybe help Gills out. What they got to see was some guy in blue armour with a gun with Gills, apparently giving him a hand. Well, he had been giving a hand to Gills before he laid eyes on her, her mother, and her siblings. He then promptly somehow teleported two guys in suits of armour to fight the Unknown while he came over and apparently started to flirt with them, her specifically.

"Oh, Kaitoh-san?" Kasumi piped up from where she and Genn were watching from inside. "Is that you?"

"Huh?" Diend blinked, tilting his head slightly so to see Kasumi. "Oh, hi Kasumi," greetings made, he promptly dropped conversation with the eldest Tendo and instead turned his attention back to Brittany and her family. "You know, I'm actually new to this world just like Decade-kun is. How about after we get rid of those Unknown back there you and I head out and you can show me all the cool places we can see, huh?"

Brittany blinked, taken completely off balance. Normally she wouldn't mind if a cute guy would hit on her, but she was married to the love of her life, her muffin, and she really didn't know what this Diend guy looked like anyway. Yet here in the middle of an Unknown attack this guy was actually hitting on her! Not that she wasn't flattered mind you, but there was a time and place for everything and she really didn't think that during a deathmatch between monsters and a friend of hers was one of those right times!

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

The group turned back to see Gills, having gotten his senses back, charging back into the fray to assist Accel and Chalice against the two Unknown, fighting much like a ferocious animal.

"Uhhh, shouldn't we be helping them now?" asked Gina uncertainly.

"Ah, they'll be fine," Diend shrugged before he turned back to Brittany and her family. "So, about my offer, I'm certainly flexible if you want to go anywhere specific."

"I'm married you know!" the werecheetah snapped, pointing at her wedding band. Diend's reaction was to stare down at the ring silently for a moment. The collected women could visibly see his shoulders slump as he cursed under his breath in no small amount of disappointment.

"Dammit," he cursed under his breath. Sighing he looked up again, this time at Brianna, "So how about-?"

"Taken," Brianna grinned cheekily. "Got a boyfriend and everything. Otherwise I'd be happy to. Sorry."

"Oh," Diend muttered. One could actually hear him pouting in the tone of his voice. Another sigh and he looked at Gina questioningly.

"Sorely tempted, but sorry, I've got a man of my own too," the blonde genius shrugged apologetically.

A dark cloud seemed to form over Diend's head, complete with thunder, rain, and lightning. Morosely, he looked up to Julia who blinked in surprise.

"Don't even think about it," she sighed despite the surprise of being considered by the obviously flirty man in front of them. "I'm married too. Happily I might add."

If Diend were to slump any farther after hearing that bit of news, he'd be practically boneless, "Oh. Okay." His sorely disappointed voice started to ramble about how 'the best babes are always taken' and how 'unfair it was to the rest of the male population' and such as he turned back towards the battle which was erupting on the front lawn.

Accel was slashing wildly at Ursus Maximus who was blocking with his hammer. The crimson Rider certainly didn't let up despite the obvious raw muscle that the Bear Lord had at his disposal. The Engine Blade proving to be a good weapon as it made the Dystopian Destroyer tremble from each blow. The Bear Lord wasn't just laying back and taking it though. He kicked out at Accel, forcing the Rider back to avoid the hit, giving the Unknown the space to swing heavily. The attack forced Accel back, but not quickly enough as sparks flew from his chest from the glancing blow he had been dealt.

Urusus Gladius was dealing with both Gills and Chalice who were darting around her attacks. It was quickly becoming obvious that the two Riders were built for speed rather than power like she was. Still, she gave as good as she got, knocking both Riders away. Despite their speed and rather sharp weaponry, her hide was tough even without armour. Blocking one such blow from the raging gills, Ursus Gladius kicked him away before smashing the head of her hammer into the soil, making the ground shake while knocking the pair of Riders away, ruining their balance for the moment.

At the house itself, Brittany clenched her fists and prepared to make her move, "Now that the flirt's been dealt with, let's get to the butt-kicking already!"

"I've got this," the blue Rider spoke up, breaking away from the women and approached the battle at a sedate pace.

"Huh?"

Diend was more than a little disappointed that he wouldn't be able to hook up with the lovely women of the household anytime soon. Really, a neko-onna, a sort-of neko-onna, and beautiful blonde bombshell who had the whole naughty scientist look down, and finally that redheaded MILF who reminded the blue Rider of a fine wine. He was so close to an awesome hook-up he could have tasted it and to have it suddenly shot down, four times even, felt like bullets to the heart.

He was disappointed and more than a little upset. Still, like any gentleman and real man, he would deal with it in a mature and reasonable fashion. Of course, he was a Kamen Rider too and that meant that he had ways of expressing his displeasure with violence and nobody would call him out on it. Already feeling better, he drew another card and slotted it into his Diendriver before extending the barrel once again.

"**Attack Ride: Blast!**"

Aiming above his head, he fired multiple energy bullets which soon redirected and started raining down on the Unknown. They were forced to jump from the sudden attack. Gills and the two summoned Riders likewise began to make tracks as the blue bolts began to fall upon them all. Neither side took too much damage, but Diend had made the attack for the sole purpose of separating the good guys from the bad guys. Taking another card from his belt, he slotted it into the Diendriver and activated it.

"**Final Attack Ride: Di-Di-Di-Diend!**"

Pointing the Diendriver out at the pair of kaijin, the nine rings of cards appears, creating the vacuum in the air which immediately help the pair in place. Chalice and Accel were both lifted from the ground before changing into energy ors and absorbed into the rings. Energy collected, Diend pulled the trigger, unleashing the stream of blue/green energy which took in all of the rings as it traveled. Both Bear Lords attempted to remove themselves from the path of the beam, but the immobilization from the vacuum the beginning of the attack had kept them still for too long. The blast collided with them with a powerful explosion. Their halos which marked them as Unknown flared to life on the impact, but broke not even a second later as they themselves blew up in their own fiery hazes.

"That takes care of that pest problem," remarked Diend, watching the flames die down. He was uncharacteristically sombre, but considering what had occurred to him, those that knew him would have understood the reason for his depression.

'_It's just not fair._'

**

* * *

**

**Greater Tokyo**

While the battle ended for Diend, Decade and Agito were still fighting the Urchin Lord. While it may not have been a hard fight for the pair of them, there was still the fact that there were numerous people in the area, all sporting automatic weapons which were aimed at them. Even worse, the Urchin Lord wasn't very sparing in the use of his exploding caltrops which forced Decade and Agito to concentrate more on stopping him from using them than on actually destroying him due to the risk of bystanders.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"Look out!" Agito cried, swatting away several of the caltrops from some of the hiding soldiers. Glancing at them, he frowned, "Are you guys trying to get yourselves blown up or something? Get the heck out of here or at least get some distance so this thing can't hit you!"

"We don't take orders from you!" one of the soldiers snapped back.

Meanwhile Decade, dodging more of the caltrops, dove behind a nearby car so to avoid getting blown up. At first glance the Urchin Lord didn't seem all that impressive, but now it had gotten a rhythm going of pulling out more caltrops with one hand while throwing with the other. Since the soldiers, as spread out as they were, couldn't hurt it with just their guns, it only had to keep the Riders in its sights. The caltrops could likewise be used to herd the Riders into its sights so to keep them from splitting up and blindsiding it.

It was enough to grate on Decade's rather impressive patience.

"I'm getting sick of this," he grunted as he drew one of his cards. "This ends now! Henshin!" Tossing the card into the Decadriver, he shut it and let the machine do its work.

"**Kamen Ride: Caucasus!**"

A hexagonal field covered Decade, covering him in the armour of Kamen Rider Caucasus. With a huff, the now gold-armoured Rider got to his feet. Acting quickly, he grabbed another card from his Ride Booker. Not letting the Urchin Lord have the time to lock onto him so to try and herd him together with Agito, he tossed it into his Decadriver.

"**Attack Ride: Clock Up!**"

D-Caucasus was then off in a blur, vanishing from sight. Running with Clock Up, everything else was standing still. His extreme speed made it rather easy to reach all of the caltrops which the Urchin Lord had been throwing around and pluck them out of the air as if they were standing on the shelf. Just out of spite, D-Caucasus even snatched the caltrops which the Lord had been holding in its hand, readying for another throw at Agito. With all of them in his hands, the dimensional Rider masquerading as a ZECT Rider gained some distance between himself and his frozen foe.

"Nice toys," he commented, idly tossing a caltrop in his hand. "Let's see how much you like them getting used on you!" Taking the caltrops, he began to idly toss them at the Urchin Lord. While the tosses were idle for him while in Clock Up, in regular speeds, they would be hard to see with the pace they were going at. One by one, D-Caucasus tossed the explosives as if he were playing catch with someone. When the last of the caltrops were gone, D-Caucasus resigned himself to enjoy the show.

And that's when Clock Up ended.

**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**

"GRAAAHHH!" the roar of the Urchin Lord could be heard over the explosions of its caltrops suddenly exploding on it all at once. The monster itself had vanished into a cloud of smoke and flames, but it quickly re-emerged when it could be seen flying from the flames and landing on top of a car, smashing the top under its weight and shattering the glass.

"What the-?" Agito gasped at the sudden change, but his attention was quickly drawn by the gold figure who had suddenly appeared in front of him. "Hey, who the heck are you?"

"Relax, it's just me," D-Caucasus answered before his armour vanished into a red pixel haze, returning to its natural Decade state. "Just a little trick I had waiting up my sleeve. I figured it was as good a time as any to finally put a use to it."

"Glad you did," Agito nodded, looking to the downed Lord. "Let's finish this."

"Agreed," Decade nodded, looking to the enemy.

As both riders began to approach the Lord, the sounds of a helicopter began to become noticeable. It was quite loud, but in the midst of all the fighting, no one who wasn't paying attention would have noticed it. Now that things had calmed for the moment with no more caltrops exploding, physical violence, or guns being shot, the sounds of helicopter blades cutting through the air was quite audible and it was getting louder by the moment. Looking up, both Kamen Riders spotted the source of the noise, unsurprisingly, was a helicopter which was painted black with an insignia on the tail, marking some kind of organization, but Decade didn't recognize it. All he could see was that the design was some sort of badge which had a giant letter G being held up by what seemed to be laurels or perhaps very small and skinny wings.

However, Agito did know it.

"Is that Officer Hikawa?" he muttered.

"Huh?" Decade blinked, looking to his counterpart. "Do you mean Kamen Rider G3?"

"Yeah…but last I knew he used a special transport truck to get around, if not a motorcycle," Agito answered. "The last time I saw that symbol on a helicopter was when…"

He was suddenly cut off when the door of the helicopter opened as the machine hovered in the air above the battle area. Decade and Agito could both see someone step out onto the strut of the machine and peer down on them. After another moment, the figure actually jumped! Flipping through the air, the figure crashed down to the pavement on their feet, shattering the ground, but receiving little to no visible damage. When the dust and shock cleared, both Riders managed to get a look at who they were dealing with.

The figure was donned from head to toe in cybernetic black armour. The only variations to that were the silver accents on the arms, hips, and legs along with yellow trim to the chest plates. On the heart of the chest plate was a badge built into the suit while on the left shoulder in large yellow writing was G4 The figure wore a silver belt which had a red power bar in the centre while the back was mostly silver with a large red batter inserted into it, no doubt keeping the entire suit active. The helmet was black save for the silver mouthpiece and the sharp, pointed silver horns and blue eyes. The entire suit brimmed with power as the wearer stared down the two Riders.

"G4!" Agito gasped.

"Who?" asked Decade.

"The military's response to the Unknown," Agito frowned. "The whole unit was made to study and combat the Unknown while creating better countermeasures alongside the police G3 unit. However, they were nothing but a bunch of thieves, warmongers, and scum!"

"Watch your mouth Freak!" G4 snapped, surprisingly with a woman's voice, pointing at Agito. "G4 is going to save the world from the Unknown! Who cares if there were a few sacrifices or hurt feelings along the way? It was for the greater good!"

"All the last G4 group wanted was to become famous for their actions, not save people!" Agito snarled, stepping forward. "They were willing to do whatever it took in order to make themselves perfect so people would learn their names!" He added, "And nothing justifies sacrificing others. I might be a freak but unlike you people I at least value human life."

G4 didn't need to hear this, especially from some 'freak'. This world was for humans and freaks like him had no place in it except for fertilizer for the ground. With an angry snarl, she charged at the pair of Riders, completely heedless of the Unknown which was slowly recovering behind her. The armoured woman swung wide, aiming to smash the smirks off the Riders faces which she just knew were there. The attack was fast, but the heightened reflexes of Agito and Decade managed to rise to the task as they rolled around the attack and got some distance from the black mecha-Rider.

"What is her problem?" demanded Decade.

"Probably just angry at me since it was me, Ryo, and Officer Hiakawa who managed to show how dirty the G4 unit was and how flawed the G4 suit itself was. It's a walking deathtrap."

"G4 is perfect!" the armoured woman shrieked angrily.

"Heard that before," Agito frowned.

Another enraged scream heralded G4's charge at the two Riders. Both of them got ready to take the fight up since they were both aware of what G4 stood for and it was obvious she was like the previous group that had created the suit. Obviously the woman wearing it had a stick up her butt about something and she wasn't going to just go away until she administered an ass-kicking to Agito and Decade simply for being there. Not to mention the fact that there was an Unknown still kicking around behind…

"Wait, what about the Unknown?" asked Decade, turning to see if the Urchin Lord was where they left it when…

BOOOM!

Several caltrops collided with Agito and Decade, sending them flying with cries of pain as they hit the ground hard, their armour smoking from the impact. Groaning, Agito looked at the direction he was pretty sure the attack came from in his rattled mind and spotted the Urchin Lord approaching with more caltrops in its hands. Its chest armour was more or less gone and bloodless black wounds were open along its chest, but it was still alive and willing to fight. It was all Agito could do not to groan in exasperation.

"Just my luck," Decade sighed. "Why do the jerks never wait to take turns in trying to kick my ass?"

"They never fight fair," Agito grunted, trying to use his staff to get to his feet again. "It's bad guy code or something."

"Well, it's working right now," the dimensional Rider grumbled as he rolled over to get his feet back under him. "Any ideas?"

"Working on it," Agito grumbled. "Some backup would be nice though…"

Ask and ye shall receive.

Even with the sounds of the helicopter from above, the roar of a motorcycle became quite audible even above it. G4 quickly heard the noise and turned slightly to see where it was coming from, looking at the street behind her. The source of the noise had come from a green motorcycle which had horns coming from the dash, two on each side with large fins coming from the back. The headlights were red and looked almost like eyes. The front was black which had a red marking on the front which seemed similar to Agito's crest, but the horns weren't curved while the centre was thinner.

That was nothing compared to the one riding it though.

He was covered from head to toe in strange green armour that was difficult to tell if it was organic or synthetic, but made to look like powerful muscles nontheless. His shoulders were marked with the same jagged crest as the front of his bike while a black stone was embedded on the centre of his chest. His wrists and ankles were wrapped in gold bands while bladed horns rose from his forearms. Even his fingers were sharp with green nails, making his entire body look like it was geared for battle. The only parts that didn't look intimidating were the orange lengths of fabric which ran from his shoulders and the metal belt around his waist with the eye-shaped buckle sporting a gemstone centre. His head was green wit a silver lower jaw and had circular red intimidating eyes, but the front of his face had a gold mouth plate which had a line of gold connecting to his forehead with six knife-like horns resting something like a crown. Oddly enough, it seemed like a half-baked attempt at how Agito's horns were placed.

The Rider raced towards the scene, gunning the acceleration on his motorcycle to its height. G4 didn't seem remotely impressed beyond the initial surprise of the interloper. Rather than say anything as the Rider raced towards the scene, she merely got out of his way, allowing the strange being to race past. However, with G4 out of the way, it left Agito and Decade in the path of the strange Rider. Out of instinct and common sense, the pair of them rolled out of the way of the speeding motorcycle, not even receiving a word of apology from the rider.

"Heads up!" the Rider shouted. Pulling back on his handlebars, he pulled the motorcycle into a wheelie which was aimed directly at the Urchin Lord. The already wounded Kaijin raised its arms to try and block the blow, but when several hundred pounds of automotive steel hits you at 60 MPH minimum, it is going to hurt. The Urchin Lord was no different as it was sent sailing from the hit, touching down on the concrete several feet away. The sudden stop forced the motorcycle down to both wheels again before the strange being hit the kickstand and leaped off, not once letting the Lord out of his sight.

Decade and Agito both blinked at the sight, unsure of what they were looking at while G4 just watched with a calculating eye.

"Who...is that?" asked Agito.

"You're one of the experts of this world," Decade answered, getting to one knee. "You tell me."

*SHING*

The noise which Decade had come to attribute to Agito preparing his finishing attacks sounded off from the green Rider. To Agito and Decade's surprise, a glowing green crest similar to that of his horns appeared beneath his feet as he took a battle stance, still staring at the Urchin Lord. However, unlike Agito whose horns would spread out, this person's mouth plate retracted to reveal a set of silver and sharp teeth. The green crest was absorbed into the fighter's feet in a flash. When the energy was absorbed, the fighter immediately took a flying leap with no momentum, aiming a flying side kick at the recovering Lord.

"HEEEEEEYAAAHHHHHHH!"

The power did its job as the strange fighter crossed the distance with just a single jump. Gravity quickly took hold again and he came down from his flight, but not before his foot crashed against the Urchin Lord's chest in a flurry of sparks which knocked the monster back once again. With the enemy down, the green fighter stood up before facing the remaining three Riders, seemingly unconcerned about the Urchin Lord struggling to get back up to its feet. Instead, he merely snapped his fingers, crying out, "Nailed it!"

As if in response, the Urchin Lord began to scream as its halo appeared once again. This time, the disc of light collapsed before the monster exploded. The only thing left behind as the flames cleared a greasy spot of flames on the ground to signal its defeat.

"No…way," Agito gasped, finally standing up. "That…that was just like…how I use my Agito Force Kick. It was the exact same…right down to the seal on the ground."

"Then is he Agito too?" asked Decade.

"Search me."

Growing impatient, G4 stepped forward, her fists ready for a fight, "Oi! Just who or what are you?"

"Me?" asked the green fighter. Slowly raising his arm, he pointed at the trio, "I am the hero of truth, honour, love, and justice! I ride free like the wind, none holding me back no matter how hard they try. I am…the AMAZING BUGMAN!

One would have been able to hear crickets if there were any in the area after such an introduction.

"Aaaaaaand the cool factor just went down the tubes," Agito sighed.

"Hmph! Pathetic!" G4 snorted before tapping a button on her wrist.

"Hey!" the green fighter snapped, losing all images of maturity and strength in order to sound like a whining kid, "I worked hard on that introduction! It took me a whole day to get it just right! My name was the best I could come up with since all the good ones are already taken too!"

"Not helping his image any by complaining," Decade muttered.

G4 ignored the immature whining as the helicopter she had been deployed from circled around again. This time the door on the side opened to reveal a co-pilot holding what seemed to be a large rectangular box of some kind. Decade nor Agito could really tell what it was, but the latter was feeling something stirring in his memory from the last time he and G4 tangled. The man hanging out of the helicopter waited until the flying machine was hovering over G4 before letting the box go. The item flew through the air before, miraculously, falling right into G4's arms. Now that it was in proper viewing range, all three Riders could see the four missiles which were inside of the box.

"A MISSILE LAUNCHER?" Decade cried out.

"Oh crap, I forgot about that!" Agito gaped.

"WOAH! Hey, wait a second!" the green figure cried, trying to placate the black armoured woman.

G4 ignored the trio as she retrieved a plug from the launcher which she attacked to a socket which was on the right side of her belt. Hefting the weapon onto her shoulder, she quickly took aim before hitting a switch which was on the left side of her belt. The first of the four rockets immediately roared to life before it raced out of the launcher towards the three Riders whom it was aimed at. The explosive moved at rapid speeds, not even allowing the Riders to react. However, it was apparently aimed low as it struck the concrete in front of the three. It exploded in a massive fireball, the force of such sending the three Riders flying the opposite direction before collapsing onto the ground with loud thuds and groans.

"Being blown up…is getting old," Decade growled.

"I hear you," Agito agreed.

"Unnnnnn," the green Rider groaned, apparently down for the count. Agito only stared at him before shaking his head.

"Lightweight."

G4 seemed smugly satisfied at the sight of the three downed Riders. Unplugging the launcher from her suit, she dropped it to the ground, uncaring of the high explosives which were loaded inside of it. Instead, she started calling to her soldiers, "Get ready to load up! Tell base to prepare for three specimens!"

"Yessir!" the soldiers, who had at best been scenery for the past while, saluted dutifully and began to advance on the trio of armoured fighters.

Decade and Agito weren't about to go down without a fight though. However, their struggles to even stand were obvious since being blown up several times wasn't something just anyone could get away from. As such, between the two of them, they had only managed to get up to their knees while the soldiers continued to advance, some of them pulling out what looked like heavy-duty manacles. They were definitely preparing to take the three Riders in.

Cue dynamic entry.

"Ranma! Cover your eyes!" the familiar voice of Dr. Diggers shouted out over the noise. Not knowing which Ranma the cry was referring to, but not really caring, both Decade and Agiro ducked their heads and used their arms to shield their faces. Not even a full second after doing so, there was a sizzling sound before a sharp bang sounded off, resulting in the insides of Decade and Agito's eyes lighting up. As the bang's echo faded away, the agonized cries of the soldiers began to spread like wildfire. Decade quickly looked up, blinking the glare from his eyes to see that all of the armed soldiers were stumbling around gripping their faces and moaning about how they were unable to see anymore. Even G4 was grasping at her own visor, swearing up a storm. Above the trio of Riders was a small puff of smoke, indicating that the assumed flash had gone off there.

"Ranma! Both of you!" Dr. Diggers called, drawing the Riders' attention to the side of the building where the elder man was standing, waving them over. "Grab the other one and get over here! We need to get out of here now!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Agito grunted, stumbling to his feet. Wobbling over to the green Rider, he picked up the fellow's arm and began dragging him over towards the aura mage.

"Ditto," Decade nodded, following his counterpart's example. He was too tired and unbalanced to try and pick up the strange fighter, so he instead grabbed him by his free arm and helped drag him over to where Dr. Diggers was waiting. At the very least, the poor sap's face wouldn't be dragged along the road. While the trip was short, it felt painstakingly long as the trio of Riders managed to reach the man. Both of the conscious heroes were ready to collapse at any moment and Dr. Diggers had to steady them both when they came to a stop.

"Are you both able to travel a little bit more?" he asked, keeping an eye on the still blinded soldiers.

"If it involves teleporting, then I'm all for it," Agito groaned.

"What he said," Decade nodded weakly.

"This…is so cool!"

The feminine squeal caught both Riders off guard, making them turn to where the side of the building ended at a corner and witness who had been hiding behind it. To their shock, Tenma Tsukamoto, her sister Yakumo, and her three friends were huddled at the side. Tenma looked like she had witnessed the most awesome thing in the universe while her sister looked wary, but curious. The busty girl and the partially foreign girl seemed ready to freak out, but the short-haired girl seemed to be taking it all in stride.

"What the-?" Decade blinked.

"I told them to run, but as you can see they didn't want to," Dr. Diggers sighed, moving back so to prepare a large teleportation spell. "I can't in good conscience leave them here with the likes of G4 and those men out there."

"…another super day…" Agito groaned, shaking his head as Dr. Diggers completed his spell and the light of teleportation engulfed them.

* * *

**Diggers Residence**

Gina was taking stock of all of the damage which the property had taken from the arrival of the two bear-type Unknown which had attacked. Surprisingly, the damage was quite light for a change. Despite a few gouges in the ground during all the fighting and running around, not to mention the black crater where the Unknown had gotten blown up by Diend, the damage could be repaired in a few days. Well, it could have been done in one day but unlike Atlanta, the local landscapers or greenhouses weren't on the Diggers' speed dial nor did they keep a stock specifically for them.

Ryo had taken a few bumps from being double teamed, but he'd be okay. Gina just cursed herself for needing to get so much equipment to fight off the Unknown, leaving Ryo by himself for so long. It couldn't be helped though. Brittany's armour was made specifically by Gina and Brianna to prevent the Unknown from using their instant-kill techniques on her, but she couldn't put in on by herself. Brianna just needed to pick out the right gun for the job, but seeing as she had so many, it took time the girls did not have. Gina and heir mother only needed to grab one weapon, but both knew that any fight with an Unknown without some heavy firepower wasn't a good idea.

Thinking of firepower, Gina glanced over to where the guy calling himself Kaitoh, another dead ringer for Ranma, seemed to be almost sulking on the front porch. Every so often he'd glance at either Britanny, Brianna, their mother, or Gina herself as if he were pining before returning to his gloom. Gina had to admit that if she weren't with Ryan she probably would have taken up the strangely flirty Ranma up on his offers, in the middle of a battle or not, and ran off with him the second it was over. Still, she was sorely tempted just the same. This Ranma seemed just as hunky as the other two, no doubt Brianna would be feeling more temptation seeing as she was in a pretty intimate relationship with the native Ranma in the first place.

Moving on from thoughts of hunky lookalikes, Gina looked down at her PDA to get a final tally on the damages while trying to compile what else she knew about the mysterious Kaitoh. Kasumi seemed to know him, but she admitted they had never met personally, only that he and the Ranma from another world had met each other a few times on the previous world they were on. She warned that Kaitoh was something of a thief and that if he had come to the Diggers' home there was a chance that he wanted something. That tidbit of information had put the girls on edge since Gina and Brianna both had treasure troves of technological goodies that would be worth millions if sold to the right bidder, never mind the kinds of weapons and magical trinkets which their parents had that could be used for total destruction or sold to collectors. Still, the guy seemed to be in too much of a slump about being rejected by all four Diggers women to be in any kind of thieving mood.

Getting a final tally, which was gloriously cheap for a change, Gina tucked away her PDA and prepared to see just what Kaitoh wanted when the light of her father's teleportation spell began to go off somewhere behind her. Shielding her eyes, she looked to the source just as it began to die down. The light vanished and the famous archaeologist had to take a moment to get her eyes to adjust, but when she did, she spotted her father, her potential brother-in-law, and his doppelganger. However, a group of five schoolgirls were with them and slung in the arms of the two Riders was a really strange figure in green armour which Gina wasn't entirely sure if it was just armour and not skin.

"Uh…hi Dad," Gina waved with a blink.

"Hello Gina," Theo sighed, eyeing the damage which had occurred to the property since he and the Ranmas had left. "Do I really want to know or is it just one of those things which seem to keep popping up where you and your sisters get involved?"

"Oh, you'll want to know once we get inside," Gina grinned innocently, but her gaze quickly turned to the two Riders who were dragging the unconscious green guy towards the house. Behind them were the five schoolgirls who seemed in various states of nervousness ranging from 'not at all' to 'all but breaking down'. "I take it things got a little hairy?"

"Mildly stating it," Theo answered. "Once we get inside we'll try to explain things. Something very serious has come up and we'll need to get moving on it immediately. In the meantime, let's see if we can find out who our green friend is and try to calm these girls down."

"Okay, hold it!" one of the schoolgirls, the blonde with the ponytails, snapped, apparently having enough. Her face was twisted into a scowl and a vein was throbbing on her forehead, indicating what level of anger she was feeling. Decade instantly tensed up, expecting a mallet attack out of sheer instinct before the girl continued. "If you people think that we're just going to go along with whatever you say after you blatantly kidnap us from off the street then you've got another thing coming!"

"Eri…" the busty girl grimaced, trying to calm her friend down.

"Mikoto, we were just attacked by some…some…thing, and then those two," the blonde cried to her friend, pointing at Agito and Decade, "came out of nowhere and fought against it before the green guy and those military guys showed up! Everything was blowing up and then that old guy did something weird with his hands to blind everyone before he just took us here against our wills! Who the heck knows what else is going to happen to us if we just go along with it!"

"Old guy?" Theo frowned, pretending not to notice Gina's quiet snickers.

"I know!" the short girl grinned as if her friend wasn't on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "It's like we're in the middle of a Tokusatsu show! Isn't it the coolest?"

"Nee-san…," the girl with the mature eyes murmured.

"No one said you had to follow us inside," Theo sighed, crossing his arms. The five girls turned to look at him in curiosity. "In fact, there's nothing stopping you from leaving, grabbing a bus, and going back to your homes like nothing has happened. However, I had thought you would all like a place to sit down and hear out what you had just gone through if for no other reason than to make sense of it all before it drives you crazy with unanswered questions."

"Could you explain why that monster attacked us?" asked the short-haired girl quite suddenly.

"That's simple," Decade spoke up. "It wasn't after you personally unless you're one of the Tsukamoto sisters."

"Us?" the girl with mature eyes and the one with the ponytails on the sides of her head blinked

"Yeah, you two," Agito nodded. "You see, these things…" Agito was about ready to continue when quite suddenly, the belt of the 'Amazing Bugman' began to shine brightly. The light rose to a near blinding level as the fighter's body began to ripple and shake. To those who managed to catch a glimpse of the fighter's body, the armour began to darken while his body shifted and changed. When the light finally began to die down, what was being held up by the two Riders wasn't a green-clad self-proclaimed superhero, but what seemed to be a high school kid in black pants and white shirt with a goatee, moustache and hair held back with a headband, complete with sunglasses.

"HARIMA?" the two of the schoolgirls, the blonde and the busty one, cried out upon seeing the unconscious high school student.

"Oh, you know this guy?" asked Agito.

* * *

_Echinus Famelicare has failed! He is dead!_

_What is worse, another Agito was the one to lay the killing blow!_

_We cannot allow even more Agito to rise!_

_The heretics who use potential Agito as a weapon have also reappeared._

_They will be dealt with later. The Agito and unnaturals must be dealt with now._

_I agree._

* * *

**Diggers Residence**

With the fact that their classmate had somehow gained superpowers, the five schoolgirls were convinced to enter the Diggers house so they could get the story as to just what was happening. All of them quickly made introductions as Tenma Tsukamoto and her little sister Yakumo, Eri Sawchika, Mikoto Suou, and Akira Takano. Out of all of the girls either demanding answers or commenting how cool their situation was, it was the level headed Akira who told the group that the unconscious young man who the Riders unceremoniously dumped onto the couch was named Kenji Harima and was something of the local delinquent with a heart of gold who went to their school. He was supposedly an easy enough guy to get along with, but something of a dumbass apparently.

As introductions were made all around, Gina gave her father the lowdown on what had occurred while he was away, complete with the two Unknown who broke the barrier and explaining how Ryo and Kaitoh had been there to help them. Theo wasn't pleased to hear that the barrier he made had been destroyed and he instantly began making plans to make a stronger one should more of the Unknown attempt to get at them again. Gina also reported that Ryo was sleeping off his headache in her lab while Julia taken to sparring against Kaitoh on the pretence of testing him when in fact she was keeping an eye on him should he think of trying to do anything funny. Brittany, Stryyp, and Brianna had all gone out to try and find a landscaping business which could fix their yard within a day or at least had the supplies so the Super Construction Votons could do the job instead.

"So, that thing that attacked had killed a relative of Tenma-chan and Yakumo-chan's and then went after them simply because they were related?" asked Mikoto with a frown while Kasumi and Genn brought out snacks for the new guests.

"It's standard with them," Ranma-Agito explained. The girls had been rather shocked when he and his Decade counterpart changed back, looking almost identical, but he simply ignored it. If these girls continued to be involved then they were going to see a lot weirder, especially when Brittany and her husband came home. "Whenever they kill someone, they go off to get the immediate relatives of the person they killed. In this case, it was the Tsukamoto sisters."

"Have you or the police determined why they keep doing this?" asked Akira with a strangely calm and calculating tone in her voice. Out of all of the girls, she was taking the news that monsters and armoured heroes existing the best. Well, next to Tenma who was acting like it was a dream come true.

"Well, as far as anyone has guessed so far there must be something unique about their targets that may in fact be shared with their relatives," Gina shrugged, not noticing how Yakumo became slightly fidgety at the mention of 'unique'. "What that is though, we haven't managed to figure out yet."

"I see."

"Zzzzzzzzzz –snort-" the still unconscious form of Harima snored before he snorted and gave off a groan, signalling his return to consciousness. Rubbing his head, he sat up, grumbling, "Man, that is the last time I try fighting someone who wields missile launchers."

"Yeah, it hurts don't it?" asked Ranma-Agito.

"No kidding," the delinquent nodded, but then his mind managed to catch up to him and he stiffened for a moment before waving his arm in a panic, "Wait! I mean I don't know what you're talking about! Missile launchers? Who could survive being blown up by one of those? Ah ha ha ha ha ha!" He trailed off laughing with sweatdrops on his head, attempting to keep suspicion off himself…badly.

"Cut the crap Harima, we all saw you change back," Mikoto sighed, apparently long since used to the delinquent's panicked actions.

"Huh?" Harima blinked, noticing his classmates and sort-of secret crush for the first time. "What are you guys all doing here?"

"We were brought here after we were attacked by the monster with spikes on its head and rescued by the people in the suits of armour!" Tenma answered excitedly. "All of the explosions, kung-fu, and monsters blowing up was just awesome! This has got to be one of the best days of my life!"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it. It was awesome," Eri frowned. Looking over to Harima, her eyes narrowed, making him flinch. Ranma-Agito did notice the sudden nervousness. Apparently the two had some bad history between them. The half-European stood up and pointed at Harima angrily, making him flinch. "Just when the hell did you get superpowers anyway Harima! Did you let yourself get bitten by a radioactive bug or something?"

"Uh…no…not really," Harima gulped, making hand signs to ward off evil. "They just sort of…appeared one day. I don't know why."

"Explain," Akira spoke up coolly.

"Um…" Harima gulped.

**Begin Flashback…**

_Harima grinned as he opened the envelope which contained his pay. Working for that moving company was hard sometimes, but the pay wasn't too bad and since his cousin had been harping on him to get a job until his manga skills started to take off, it was the easiest job he could get that didn't mess with his drawing time. Better yet, some of the guys he knew from school were there too, but they were kind of loser-ish too, which nullified that advantage. One of them was that lunatic Hanai who was obsessed with Tenma-chan's sister Yakumo while the other was the playboy Imadori. The other person who was helping them was Karen Ichouji, one of the girls on the wrestling team. She seemed like a slip of a girl with short black hair which she liked to style into a braid on the side of her face, but she was without a doubt one of the strongest people in school, easily outmuscling the strongest boys on the wrestling team. Heck, she had been able to lift heavy boxes and furniture which Harima, Hanai, and Imadori had to work together to move. A blow to their manly pride to be sure, but the money made them all feel better in the end._

"_Gotta love payday," Imadori grinned, running a hand through his windswept blonde hair. "Now, I wonder if anyone's free…" he trailed off, pondering if any of the girls he knew were free that night and feeling like going on a date._

"_Now I can get that gift for Yakumo-chan," Hanai grinned, dashing out of the boss' office and away to parts unknown, his obsession driving him past normal human limits._

"_Hmm," Karin smiled, seeing her work being rewarded. Glancing at Harima, she spoke up, "So what are you going to do with your pay Harima-san?"_

"_I dunno," Harima shrugged. However, he had a different set of thoughts, 'Probably going to lose half of it to my cousin once I get home!'_

_Karin nodded as both she and Harima headed out of the office, Harima heading for his motorcycle while Karin went to the bus stop, aiming to get her ride home. The delinquent was aiming to head off to the zoo so he could visit his animal friends. He just hadn't felt the same since he had to let the zoo take them in, especially after all of the effort he and his friends had put into fooling the media into thinking they were just people in costumes. Still, he could tell that they appreciated the visits, even if Pyotr the giraffe couldn't remember his face half the time._

_Karin hummed a tune as she patiently waited for the bus to arrive. Working as a mover wasn't so bad since the money was okay and nothing was too heavy for her. It also helped keep her strength up so she wouldn't have to train as hard with the wrestling team. Even better, her crush Imadori was there too! Of course, she never really could get the nerve to confess her feelings, but one day she would, one day. With a small yawn, she tried to keep herself amused. At least the electronics store across the street was playing some good movies on their displays for a change. She would be entertained enough at least until the bus came._

_As she watched the film on display reach a very interesting point, Karin started hearing a heavy breathing approaching her from the side. Thinking that someone was running, she turned to see if she was in the person's way in case she needed to move. However, rather than someone who was running, she instead saw something else entirely. A creature which was green all over and wore what seemed like a tribal collar of some kind with black straps going underneath its arms. Its wrists and shins had bands on them and it wore sandals with a loincloth to complete its ceremonial tribal look. In its hands was a pair of curved swords which looked similar to what a mantis would have fore arms, making it very clear what its intentions were. Its head however was located on a long green neck and had a triangular shape to it. Its lower half was pale with a wide grin set with silver teeth while the top half wore a mantis' head like it was a helmet, its real eyes being barely noticeable, squeezed next to the large bulbous eyes of the mantis head. The only passing semblance for hair it had was the chainmail which hung down from the back of its helmet._

_Karin could only have one reaction to seeing such a creature._

"_EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"_

_Harima jerked his head up from fiddling with his helmet when he heard the scream. Looking to the source, he was shocked to discover a green mantis-man stalking towards Karin with a pair of blades raised, ready to strike against her. Normally most people would have screamed and run away, tried to call the police, or something along those lines. However, Kenji Harima wasn't one of those people. Having hyped himself on tales of manly men fighting for what they believe in and doing what was right for years now, he wasn't the type of guy who would run away from anything, no matter how sensible an idea it was. Instead, he charged in headfirst and dealt with the problem himself._

_Throwing his helmet away, Harima hit the ignition to his bike. He knew from watching several tokusatsu shows that monsters didn't buckle down to just any kind of attack. So thinking fast (and sensibly for a change) he turned his bike around in its parking spot before gunning the acceleration, speeding towards the mantis monster which as much speed as he could muster in such a short distance. As the beast seemed to take notice of him as his engine roared it's loudest, Harima yanked back on the handlebars and pulled his weight back as far as he could. The motorcycle obliged as it pulled back into a wheelie, moving on one wheel. The Mantis monster raised its arms to try and retaliate, but the front wheel still smashed into its torso and face, knocking it back several feet before it dropped to its back._

_The bike landed with a loud thud, thankfully right side up. Harima looked to Karin, who was pale as a ghost, "Are you okay?"_

"_Uh...uh…uh-huh?" the unusually strong girl nodded._

_A gargling growl alerted the pair that the mantis monster was getting up again. Looking in the direction that it had gone, both teens saw that it was true. Harima started gunning the throttle of his bike again, ready for another strike. Looking to Karin, she said, "You'd better run!" Karin nodded quickly and began to vacate the scene quickly as Harima sped towards the mantis monster once again, aiming to knock it farther away from Karin so she would be able to escape._

_The mantis monster snarled as Harima and his bike sped closer. However, as Harima was about to try for another wheelie, the monster leaped into the air, coming down in an arc with its swords raised in a manner that threatened to behead the delinquent if something wasn't done._

"_Damn!" Harima cursed, turning his bike on a sharp curve which sent him spinning onto the road and him tumbling onto the asphalt. The mantis monster thankfully missed in its attack, but it did land on the ground near him. He tried to get up, but the mantis monster was already on his, picking him up by his shirt even with a sword occupying its hand._

"_Your interference will not be tolerated," the mantis monster snarled angrily as it brought back its free sword arm for a swipe aimed at his neck._

_Harima grunted as he tried to break the monster's grip, but it was proving to have muscles of steel underneath its green skin. Its grip wasn't about to break no matter what he did to it. It was at this moment that Harima saw his life flash before his eyes, seeing everything he did up until that point. All of his fights as a punk, meeting his Tenma-chan, and all of the things he did to ensure she didn't remember that meeting while at the same time trying to catch her attention so she would know how he felt with her. The fights were pretty cool, but all of the flops, flubs, and embarrassing situations he went through in his quest for love he could have gone without._

'_Still, I won't die like this in such an ignoble and uncool way!' he thought to himself with a growl. 'I WILL NOT DIE WITHOUT TELLING TENMA-CHAN HOW I FEEL!"_

_Harima then felt something snap inside of him, something he hadn't felt before. Along with that snap, his arm shot up by itself and blocked the blow from the mantis monster's sword. Normally the blade might have hacked off his arm like a hot knife through butter. Rather than that happening though, the blade stopped against his skin as if it had struck steel. To both the monster and Harima's shock, green energy began flooding over his arm as if it were coming out of his pores. More and more energy came, flooding up to his shoulder before covering it completely. Then, in a flash, the energy solidified into an armour-covered limb that seemed neither steel nor flesh, but a mixture of both with a strange crest of horns on the shoulder._

_Clenching his new fist, Harima lashed at the monster, punching it in the face. To his surprise, the monster actually grunted in pain and stumbled backwards. Landing on his feet, Harima felt the power which affected his arm creeping over the rest of his body. It energized him, changed him, made him more powerful than he thought possible. Pointing his face to the sky, he let out a cry of pure power as the energy covered him and flashed, transforming him into a suit of armour which covered him from head to toe. The dark green armour glistened in the sunlight, his horns catching the light and making them shine like knives. His red eyes were unblinking and his new muscles coursed with power._

_The mantis monster eyed the transformation, snarling angrily. "Agito," it spat out like a curse. Gripping its swords, the monster charged at the transformed Harima with renewed fury. The changed Harima watched the attacker come before unleashing a slash, but he swiftly dodged it. Years of street fighting gave him a battle sense of when an opponent was going to attack him. Now though it was like his entire body and skills had received a power boost! Dodging another slash, Harima unleashed a knee into the monster's stomach, making it gasp for air and stumble backwards. Not one for restraint, Harima continued attacking, punching at the monster's head numerous times. It's height thanks to its long neck made things slightly awkward, but not enough to make beating it like a drum hard._

_Crouching down after a straight punch to the face, Harima jumped up, making a powerful uppercut to the monster's chin, "HIYAH!" The strike sent the monster sailing before it landed on the ground with a loud thud and a groan. Landing softly on his feet, Harima took a battle stance with his fists clenched as he legs evenly spaced. Now if only he had a finishing move…_

_*SHING!*_

_The gold mouth plate slide open, revealing silver teeth to the world as a green crest appeared on the ground, slowly being absorbed into his feet. Harima could feel the energy coursing up through his feet, making him feel like he was about to explode from it all. Staring down at the recovering monster, he let off a growling exhale of breath. With a rumble in his chest, Harima leaped at the monster, somehow crossing the distance between them without even needing a running start as he moved for a side kick. The monster looked up to see him coming down, but wasn't able to block or dodge it. Harima's kick crashed against its chest, making a mass of sparks fly as it flew back and skidded across the asphalt from the impact._

_Harima landed on the ground and watched as the monster attempted to stand, making choking noises. At first he wondered if he managed to finish it, but then he spotted a halo of light appear above its head. It shone in various intensities. Finally the beast screamed as the halo seemed to collapse and wink out before the monster exploded in a fiery haze._

"_Woah!" Harima gasped as he shielded his eyes from the glare. As it died down, he glanced at the destruction he had made, a greasy black spot in the road. "So cool!"_

**End Flashback**

"And that's how it started," Harima finished.

"Wow!" Tenma gasped. "That is awesome!"

"Really?" the delinquent looked up, lovesick hopefulness appearing in his shades-covered eyes.

"Wait, wait, wait, So Karin-san knows about these monsters going around attacking people and she didn't try to warn anyone?" asked Eri with more than a little annoyance in her voice.

"Who'd believe her?" asked Mikoto. "I mean, animal-like monsters running all around Tokyo killing people for some unknown reason? I don't know about the rest of you, but unless I saw solid evidence of that I'd say whoever was saying it should be locked up in the loony bin."

"But…shouldn't the police be trying to do something about it?" the ponytailed blonde gaped, apparently trying to find support in her rant against the monsters which suddenly appeared. "I mean, that's what we pay them to do, right? Serve and protect, right?"

"They are doing something," Akira spoke up, biting a cookie. "It's called the G3 unit. It's a special ops unit specifically formed to deal with supernatural entities which seek to cause harm to the people of Tokyo and Japan. They were formed after all of that Unidentified Life Form business a few years back. They have a special suit geared towards combating these threats called the G3-X system. From what I understand, it's quite powerful."

"Yup! That's my baby!" Gina grinned happily, filled with pride.

"Huh?" Ranma blinked, looking at both Akira and Gina. Looking to Akira first he asked, "Okay, how do you know that, and you," he continued, pointing at Gina. "You invented this G3-X suit or something?"

"You'd be surprised what seeps through cover-ups and onto the web," Akira shrugged, finishing her cookie. No one seemed to be paying complete attention to her save Theo and Ranma-Agito since he knew that second tidbit of news in the first place.

"Well, it more like a collaboration between me and Brianna," Gina admitted with a shrug. "The old G3 suit wasn't doing very well against the Unknown, being barely able to hold them off and protect people before Agito or R…someone else capable of fighting them would come along and kick its butt. After seeing it action, Brianna and I decided that it needed an overhaul. We had to practically beg on our knees to let Ozawa-san, the inventor, give us the schematics to the thing to we could work on it. We kept the basic design, but then added and upgraded just about everything else including weapons, armour, movement capabilities and so forth while Ozawa-san wrote the new programming for it." A wide grin then spread across her face. "That baby was perfect I tell you!"

"Yes, it was a good thing you two caught that programming bug though," Ranma-Agito nodded. "The programming was too perfect and could overwhelm the person wearing it, making the suit go into a kind of autopilot that would fulfill mission parameters no matter what the cost. Gina-san managed to whip together a dampener chip before Officer Hikawa got hit with that certain flaw."

"Heh, I guess there's such a thing as too much perfection," Gina shrugged, reaching for some tea which Kasumi had been nice enough to make.

"If G3-X is the model the police are using, then where did G4 come from?" asked Yakumo.

"PFFFT! G4?" Gina cried, spitting her tea out in a shocked rush and incidentally drenching Harima's face. Shock quickly gave way to rage as Gina struggled not to crush the cup in her hands. "You mean those thieving, backstabbing little !*#%$ are back again using MY tech? That's it! I'm gonna grab one of Brianna's particle cannons and blow them from here to kingdom come!" Leaping from the couch, she made a dash for the stairs before Genn had to physically tackle her in order to prevent her from doing something hasty, such as setting off Brianna's personal security systems or worse, letting her peebos have free run of the house.

"Uh…what was that?" asked Mikoto with a raised eyebrow, clearing voicing the thoughts of her friends which amounted to WTF.

"It's a touchy subject," Theo sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Hey I don't know this story either," Ranma spoke up. "Since Me and Agito are probably going to have to fight these clowns again sometime, I'd like to know what I'm up against."

"True," Theo sighed. "All right, it started when the G3 unit got a new recruit named Risa Fukami who was assigned to the group. However, she did not stay with the group very long before she quit due to being reassigned to a unit which was in need of her technical expertise. It was only later that we found out that she in fact copied all of the data pertaining to G3-X and a system which Ozawa-san had been tinkering with called G4."

"You mean she stole it?" asked Tenma with wide eyes.

"Like it was going out of style," Theo nodded. "Later we discovered that a G4 unit had been created by the military which in essence used a copy of the G3-X running on the G4 operating system. The system showed some success, however Fukami-san was quick to claim credit for the invention of the G4, suit and system both to her superiors. It was quite apparent that she was becoming the talk of the anti-kaijin groups and talk was made about mass-producing the G4 in order to better defend Japan."

"Pfft! Defend Japan, right. She only wanted to become famous," Ranma-Agito snorted. He had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting Risa Fukami and it was certainly clear to him that she had no real intention of protecting people. She wanted to get her name out in the world, make people remember her, and it was a pretty good guess that being the one who invented a suit which saved the people of a nation was a quick way to do it."

"She didn't invent anything!" Gina snapped from where she was still being pinned by Genn. "She just stole the plans, added bigger weapons, and hardwired all of it to the user's nervous system! Not one bit was her idea! She just used the ideas me, Brianna, and Ozawa-san either tossed out or were still tinkering with! She wanted it done fast so the rest of us didn't have a chance of stopping the Unknown once and for all!"

Harima grimaced at Gina's outraged cry, "Okay I'm no tech expert but I've seen enough sci-fi movies to know that hardwiring someone's nervous system to anything less that a fake arm or something is a really, really, bad idea."

"I can assure you Harima-san, it is an extraordinarily bad idea, which is why Ozawa-san hadn't even attempted to build the G4 operating system yet," Theo answered grimly. "Since Ozawa-san's notes were incomplete and not even a test model had been built, G4 had a very glaring flaw. The user's nervous system was pushed into overdrive every time it was put into use. Essentially, it was a prolonged suicide if you used that suit in combat. You only were able to use it several times before your nervous system eventually fried itself and you either died or became braindead."

The girls gave a collective shiver with both Ranma and Harima not far behind.

"Heh, when Fukami couldn't figure out how to fix the problem herself, she tried to sweet-talk Ozawa-san, Gina-san, and Brianna-chan into perfecting it for her," Ranma-Agito snorted. "She tried feeding them lines about how they should use their gifts to protect the people and eventually the rest of the world but anyone with a lick of sense could tell she was lying her ass off. She was desperate and wanted to suit perfected before her superiors came to inspect her unit and the suit before they gave a final decision on mass producing the suit or not."

"Yeah, I was almost swayed too, but not after the superiors of the G3 unit announced that the inspection into G4 was going to happen in only a short time," Gina snorted, sitting up, but still being kept secured by Genn. "They asked Brianna and I to make sure G3-X was running at top efficiency so to not look bad in front of G4."

"So…what happened next?" asked Mikoto, getting into the story.

"As we later found out, despite all the weapon upgrades and a whole team of technicians to keep G4 going in its peak, it really wasn't that much stronger or faster than G3-X," Ranma-Agito answered. "Trust me, I went up against both of them so I know the difference. All G4 really had going for it was a lot more firepower which the military gave them access to. Other than that, it wasn't anything much to sneeze at. However, Fukami was ready, willing, and very much able to do anything it took to make sure G4 proved itself more powerful than G3-X so it could get the funding and contracts needed to mass produce it."

"So what did she do?" asked Yakumo.

"Well, during this little adventure, we met a homeless girl named Sayaka Kahara," Theo spoke up, taking the reins of the story again. "She had the amazing gift of clairvoyance, which allowed her to see the future. We found her living on the streets, using her gift to find winning lottery tickets in stores. When an Unknown attacked her, we brought her back home with us to protect her. There she explained that she was part of a special school set up by the G4 program to find and locate children who had psychic abilities and train them so that one day they could join up with the G4 unit, well, at least until a mob of Unknown attacked the school anyway."

"You mean they were raising psychic kids to be weapons?" Eri gasped in horror.

"No, they weren't," Ranma frowned. "They were training up their powers to the peak so they could hook them up to some kind of machine so that their powers could enhance G4 while on the battlefield."

"WHAT?" the five girls gasped in horror.

"When some G4 thugs came and kidnapped Sayaka, the rest of us followed them to the facility where they were stationed," Ranma-Agito continued. "Sneaking in, we managed to find her unconscious, and hooked up to some kind of machine which forced her powers to activate so G4 would be able to see where and when an attack would come at him. Gina-san and Brianna-chan worked to try and get her out while the rest of us ran a distraction which also included getting G4 to fight us. Apparently they wanted to test out how well their suit could do against an Agito like me."

"Those $*&#% weren't even going to let their superiors know what they were doing either," Gina growled, remembering the sight of a twelve-year old girl being hooked up to that awful machine like she was a piece of hardware. "Me and Sis, while trying to find the shut-down codes, managed to find data which alerted all the technicians that the superiors of G4 weren't supposed to know what they did and instead credit the clairvoyance to an advanced probability and radar system which accounted for all movements of the people around G4. Even they didn't have the authority to just kidnap people and use them in their inhumane experiments."

"Yeah, but for how bad the system was, it made G4 pretty hard to beat," Ranma-Agito sighed. "It was really hard to fight someone who knew where and when I was going to strike at them. The psycho was beating me black and blue before I managed to figure out the flaw to his little psychic scheme."

"What flaw? The system sounds perfect to me," Akira commented.

"Oh there was a flaw," Ranma-Agito grinned. "You see, even if G4 was able to see my attacks coming, it really didn't mean squat if I was going too fast for his reflexes to keep up. In essence, all I had to do was keep my speed up to a point that G4 wouldn't be able to catch an attack from me even if he saw it coming."

"Oh, I get it!" Tenma lit up in realization. "It's just like how Rock Lee-san beat Sasuke-san's Sharingan with pure speed in _Naruto_!" As happy as she was at coming to the realization, the other girls all had to sweatdrop at the outburst.

"Uh, yeah, something like that," Ranma-Agito nodded.

"Brianna and I managed to shut the machine down and cut off G4's psychic trick," Gina explained, having calmed down enough for Genn to let her go. "However, by using her powers like she was, it somehow caught the attention of a whole mob of ant-type Unknown who broke into the base and went on a killing spree with every soldier they could get their hands on. It was lucky me and Bri managed to clear a route with her weapons or else we might have been goners too."

"In the end," Theo coughed. "We all managed to escape, but G4 finally fried the user's nerves and he died while almost everyone else in the facility, Fukami-san included was killed by the Unknown. Gina and Brianna made recordings of all of the illegal data the G4 unit was finding in their illegal experiments and submitted it to the GA, the people who are superiors to both G3 and G4. After the data was read, G4 was disbanded and anyone who survived was dishonourably discharged from duty while the surviving technicians were arrested and jailed for their illegal experiments. Last we heard the G4 suit itself was scrapped. However, it seems we were wrong since that is exactly what we saw trying to blow up Harima-san and both Ranmas."

"So it just leaves the question, how the heck did this new lady get her hands on it and where did she get the funding to put together a group like she did?" asked Ranma.

"There's only one person I know who might be able to get any answers, if she doesn't have them already," Theo answered, crossing his arms. "Sumiko Ozawa, the inventor of the G3 armour."

* * *

**-Location Unknown**-

G4 angrily stomped her was through the darkened hallways of her base, flanked on each side by an armed soldier carrying an assault rifle. Very little lighting was in the base itself, illuminating the bare essentials in the hallways so that people who traversed them could see. Anyone sharing the halls with the angry G4 were thankful of it of course since no one wanted to get I the way of their boss when she was on the warpath. It just wasn't healthy.

Walking through the hallway, G4 stopped at a metal door for only a moment before it slid open, revealing a circular room filled with monitors and several technicians going over data, recordings, and looking over displays relaying the G4 armour and its performance. One the G4 wearer herself came into the room though; they all quickly stopped what they were doing and stood up straight, ready to receive orders should any be needed to be carried out.

"That was PATHETIC!" she immediately screeched, stomping deeper into the command centre. "Our entire mission was a failure thanks to one gaijin with a flash grenade! Why was he not removed while the unit was securing the area? Thanks to that incompetence, we now have nothing to show for our actions. No new specimens, no new means of enhancing G4, no new means of defeating the Unknown! Now the G3 unit will be aware of our existence and will no doubt notify the GA! This cannot be tolerated if we are to perfect the G4!"

The black armoured Rider took several deep breaths to calm her rage. After a moment of such, she looked at the nervous technicians, "Now, is there any data we obtained about the pink-armoured figure? Anywhere he might have been noticed before now?"

"N-no ma'am," a nearby technician denied. "We haven't seen anything like him before. However, we do know that whatever he is, he isn't like Agito or the Unknown. However, we theorize that he is powered by technology which means he is at least human."

"Which means we may be able to add his technology to G4," the black Rider smiled.

"It's possible, but we'd have to examine it first if we intend to do that," the technician answered.

"I'll take care of that when the opportunity arises," G4 shrugged. "In the meantime though, it is time we initiated Operation G3 Elimination. No doubt Agito and his fellow freaks will want information on how G4 was able to survive. We'll be able to rid ourselves of our greatest rivals and collect the specimens we need at the same time," she then turned to the soldiers who were flanking her, "You two alert the necessary parties. I want this operation to go flawlessly or else heads will roll, do I make myself clear!"

"Hai!" the two soldiers saluted before they turned and left.

"G4 will save the world in its perfection," the armoured female muttered under her breath. "I will make sure of it!"

* * *

**Diggers Residence**

"Do my ears deceive me? There's a more advanced version of the anti-Unknown armour?"

Conversation halted as the suave voice of a new arrival entered the room. Ranma blinked and withheld the urge to groan as he turned and saw his counterpart Kaitoh entering the room. He had his jacket slung over his shoulder and his hat slightly skewed, but it was definitely him. Behind him was Julia with a practice sword over her shoulder, and there seemed to be a small amount of strained patience in her eyes. She didn't seem really to blow her top like Ranma had seen his rivals and fiancées do countless times, but appeared to be more annoyed over something small like being unable to find change for the bus or running late to a minor appointment.

"Did I…miss something?" Theo asked with a frown as he spied a third Ranma entering the room.

"Oh, right, forgot to mention Kaitoh's looks," Gina chuckled embarrassedly. "Everyone, this is Kaitoh. He's a Kamen Rider just like the other Ranmas. He calls himself Kamen Rider Diend."

"We've met," Ranma sighed, staring at his counterpart. "What are you doing here Kaitoh? The Monster Arms told me about your little trip to Castle Doran so I doubt you're here just to lend a helping hand."

"You know me so well for someone you just met Decade-kun," Kaitoh grinned as he strolled into the room. "While it is true that I came to the Diggers household in my quest for treasure, I think that it wouldn't be too hard to grant my request. After all, it's easily replaceable for the likes of the genius archaeologist Gina Diggers."

"And that would be?" asked Julia, making sure to keep the counterpart of her future son-in-law firmly in her sights. She didn't want him to pull out some surprise that could end up hurting somebody. It was plainly obvious that he was attempting to smoothtalk Gina into handing over whatever it was that he wanted.

"The plans for the G3-X suit and operating system, what else?" asked Kaitoh, glancing at the redhead.

"What?" Gina cried, reasonably stunned like everyone else in the room. "I can't just give those to you! I'm required under law to keep those plans under lock and key until the GA decides I can release them!"

"Mou, I had a feeling you'd say that," Kaitoh sighed, shaking his head. He then broke out into a grin. "Don't worry though. Since there's a G4 suit running around, I can just rob those guys of its schematics and operating system instead. It's obviously more advanced anyway."

"Like hell it is!" Gina cried, dashing up to Kaitoh and grabbing his collar. "G4 is just a rip-off of my G3-X! The only thing that's advanced about it is its operating system and that thing's flawed like crazy!"

"So if I get the G4 schematics I get the advanced armour of G3-X and an advanced OS?" Kaitoh grinned as Gina blinked, realizing she had just confessed to G4 being superior to her own suit in some way. Katioh pretended not to notice as he simply grinned. "Excellent! It looks like I'm going on a raid into enemy territory then!"

"Does that mean you know where to look for these people Kaitoh-san?" asked Kasumi. She seemed as polite as ever, but for those who paid attention you could tell there was an edge in her voice which had been there ever since she had heard how G4 would use innocent children to boost the combat capabilities of their suit.

"Not a clue!" Kaitoh answered simply, causing sweatdrops from everyone in the room. "But, my dad didn't raise a quitter and I know dozens of ways of getting the information I need. I'm not worried about it."

"Well, you have your ways and we have ours," Ranma-Agito commented. "We'll see who finds G4 first."

"Is that a challenge?" Kaitoh grinned. "In that case I definitely accept!" Turning around, he politely moved past Julia and made tracks for the door. "I'll see you both after I rob those guys blind! Then we can discuss what I get for winning!" Not even waiting for a reply, the thieving Rider was out the door and heading to the front gates.

"Well, he's like me in at least one way," Ranma sighed. "Can't say no to a challenge."

"So it seems," Theo nodded. Shrugging his shoulders, he glanced over at Tenma and her friends. "Well, it seems we'd better get these ladies home. With the Unknown targeting the Tsukamoto sisters destroyed, they should be safe enough. New Unknown don't seem to go after people which had gotten away from the others."

"Well that's a relief," Eri sighed.

* * *

"_The unnaturals are on the move once again."_

"_They are searching for the blasphemers."_

"_Why should we care? We will destroy them just as we will the Agito!"_

"_However, they will eventually be all together in one place."_

"_They will make a viable target."_

"_Patience is called for, my brothers."_

* * *

**Tokyo**

With Gina taking the civilian girls home in her Gina-Mobile (and making engine noises whenever she got the chance to drive fast enough) it left both Ranmas, Theo, Ryo, and Harima to try and figure out just where the G4 unit was hiding this time. All five of them quickly departed the Diggers house and began their trip to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters where the G3 unit was stationed so they could get some information. At first Ranma and Ranma-Agito wanted to go it alone, but Ryo and Harima both insisted on coming along. In Ryo's case, it was because the G4 unit had made attempts on a psychic boy he once saved from an Ant-Type Unknown named Rei Motoki that used to go to the G4's special school. Harima's reason was just some long-winded speech about how a real man never turned his back on those in need which got him tuned out as the other Riders and single aura mage headed out, leaving him to catch up.

"Wow," the delinquent admired the building which housed Tokyo's finest. "This is a nice place."

"You think so?" asked Ranma. "You've probably been hauled into it a dozen times by now haven't you?"

"Hey, I may fight thugs and skip class, but even I know not to try and mess with the police!" the delinquent snapped imperiously, as if being smart enough not to cause trouble with the police was some kind of grand achievement. "I have some standards."

"Yeah, whatever."

Leaving Harima to fume and gloom at the same time, the group of secret heroes entered the police station. Since Theo had clearance as an advisor to the G3 unit, he was given access while the four Riders were mere considered his assistants or someone bearing information which might be helpful considering the Unknown and their habits. Navigating the aisles of offices and cubicles, the small group exited out into the parking garage where the S.W.A.T. vehicles and other such heavy situational vehicles were kept. Rather than just the black armoured vehicles however was a large big rig truck which was blue with a white trailer. Painted proudly on the sides was the winged insignia of the G3 unit.

"They're stationed in a truck?" asked Ranma with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. All of their funding goes into equipment, research, development, and training," Ranma-Agito nodded. "There's no room for office space. Any paperwork is done inside temporary offices if needed. Usually that's Ozawa-san's job. Hers or her little flunky's anyway."

Since the back of the trailer was open for ease of entrance, all the small group had to do was stoll onto the walkway which allowed entry into the vehicle's back. Inside, rather than simple a cargo box for the truck seemed to be a functioning mobile command centre. The back end had several monitors built into while walls, all revealing status screens depicting aspects of a suit and all of its equipment which went with it. The front part held a very advanced police motorcycle which looked geared up for battle along with the components of a high tech suit which was blue and silver, looking remarkably similar to the G4 suit, save for the colours, the red eyes, and the G3-X marking on the left shoulder plate.

At the consoles were three officers, presumably the G3 unit in its entirety. One was of course Makoto Hikawa whom both Ranmas recognized, one from working with him against the Unknown and the other from the crime scene he had witnessed him present at. The second was a female police officer dressed in the proper white and blue uniform and had long brown hair which was tied back in a simple ponytail. She was typing away at the keyboards, her eyes reading over the data at a rapid pace, obviously knowing it by heart and looking for differences. Lastly was a younger officer in uniform who was male and had short black hair, but was reading his share of the data much slower, obviously either not knowing it as well, or simply wanting to be as thorough as he could.

Hikawa was reclining against a rolling chair, a little out of his depth. He was the one who used the suit and ran down leads on the Unknown as his position within the G3 unit. However, how to operate the suits systems from a terminal was a little out of his depth save for how to turn the thing on and activate the weapons. Other than that, the technical things went to the G3 suit's creator Sumiko Ozawa, and her assistant Takehiro Omuro.

Ozawa, as previously stated, was the inventor of the original G3 suit. She had a lot of pride in its capabilities and functions as an anti-supernatural weapon made to protect the people of the city. Naturally she had a lot of pride in its capabilities, but with that pride came a lot of frustration since when the Unknown began to appear, the G3 suit could barely break even with them. All of the weapons she designed, the schematics she had put hours into, and the programming for the suit's software she painstakingly wrote were proving barely effective against the forces of the Unknown. Even more frustrating, her suit was being outperformed victory-wise by the likes of Agito and Gills.

When Dr. Diggers was called in, she gave the man the respect he deserved. He obviously knew what he was doing and offered some insight into the Unknown when he encountered a few of them himself. It was him who suggested that the Unknown had to be killing for a reason. Since the victims of the Unknown attacks were relatively untouched save for the killing blow, the Unknown had reason to kill for more sentient reasons rather than for some reason such as food or sustenance. There was something about their targets that Unknown killed for, although for what reasons was yet to be concretely discerned.

His suggestion of building a database on the types of Unknown they had encountered was proving fruitful when common varieties began to appear after their predecessors were destroyed. The information was classed on animal type, method of killing, weapons used, natural abilities, and other such parameters. From the compilation of Unknown data and G3's struggles, Dr. Diggers' daughters Brianna and Gina suggested that maybe they could use it to make an upgrade for G3. Ozawa had been reluctant, but when the girls all but begged on their hands and knees, she relented and allowed them copies of the suit's schematics under oath to never reveal them unless told otherwise. The girls' labours into the suit's hardware and Ozawa's own software were quite visibly seen as G3-X began to rake up victory after victory against the Unknown, beating even Agito and Gills to the punch. It certainly restored her pride in her creation, even if she did accept a little help in its upgrade.

Omuro was the youngest member of the trio and the most inexperienced despite his sharp mind and his experience with technology that landed him his position. Still, he seemed to enjoy his job even though he had to witness the struggles Hikawa went through fighting Unknown and the tough times Ozawa put on him when she was stressed. For a while, he had wanted to try and help out even more, which prompted him to don the G3-MILD suit, an attempt at a mass-produced G3. Despite his bravery and actually saving Hikawa from a Scarab-type Unknown by replacing G3-X's dead battery with his own charged one, the suit was still deemed a failure and the program was scrapped. He returned to his desk job with the G3 unit with perhaps a little more admiration for Hikawa who managed to fight and win against such monsters so often.

Hearing the sounds of footsteps on metal, Hikawa looked up to see Dr. Diggers and his entourage approaching. He didn't question the sight of two Ranmas since he had never been formally introduced to Ranma except in passing and merely assumed that the pair were twin brothers. Seeing the doctor, he stood up with a welcoming smile, "Ah, hello Diggers-sensei. It's not often you come to visit us."

"Hm?" the woman, Ozawa blinked, turning to the source before she blinked. "Oh, hello Diggers-sensei. What brings you here?"

"Information today Ozawa-san," Theo greeted with a small nod. "First thing though, we can add the new Unknown to the database. I've been able to catch it in action and it has also been dealt with by Agito."

"What?" Ozawa gaped, sounding oddly put out despite her professional manner. "Don't tell me he beat us to it again!" As the operator fumed, Harima merely tried to look unobtrusive and scratched his cheek. He had enough experience with women when you told them something you didn't want to hear. He didn't want to experience it again thank-you very much!

"Well, at least we have the new data then," Omuro nodded, typing at his computer and pulling up the Unknown index. "Will there be enough for an entry?"

"We can deal with that later," Theo replied gravely. "I came here to ask for your assistance. I'm sorry to have to say this, but it appears that G4 has gone active once again."

"WHAT?" the three teammates of the G3 unit gasped. Ozawa continued to sputter as she gazed at Theo. "But…but that thing's a walking deathtrap! Besides, Hikawa-kun helped put it down after that disaster with the last one! The suit was scrapped!"

"Someone managed to either get a new one or repair the old one," Theo replied. "I saw the suit in action myself. Whoever has it has men, weapons, and resources all at their disposal. I know that the G4 unit was officially disbanded so obviously someone is working behind the scenes for it. I was hoping that with your technical expertise and knowledge about the suit, considering its just a copy of G3-X, you might be able to find a lead on where they're stashing it. After all, a suit like that needs special care and expertise to make sure it is at its best."

The two technicians wordlessly set to work and began to talk in technical terms as they worked at their terminals. Hikawa and Theo were offering what observations they could, not being as tech-savvy as Ozawa or Omuro, but they managed. The other four young men on the other hand wisely kept their minds out of the conversation, knowing they'd be no help whatsoever. Ryo, although he was a former university student, was more of a student athlete in the physical programs before his accident which helped his becoming Gills. Both Ranmas were hopeless when it came to computers with Ranma-Agito only knowing how to play games thanks to Brianna showing off her tech to him. Harima was a self-admitted dumbass so he knew his limits with computers besides surfing the internet and such.

"The G3-X suit has a number of components built into it which are hard to get and aren't available to the general public," Ozawa spoke, typing through screens of data. "So it should be easy to track the number of the rarer pieces of tech. That thief Fukami didn't bother to modify the G3-X suit beyond adapting the operating system of G4 to it so a large number of the components are no doubt going to be the same. If they had to build a new suit from scratch then we'll be able to find a full list of components, but if repairs were needed after Hikawa-kun damaged the suit then they'll still need to get new parts and hopefully they'd have to replace some of the more sensitive pieces."

"Besides the brawl we had to go through which may have damaged something, I did shoot it almost a dozen times in the chest," Hikawa commented, remembering the brutal fight with the man who last a wore G4, a man who had no regard for staying alive and believed that not having the will to live made one stronger. Hikawa believed otherwise and in the end the police officer was proven right as he managed to outlast G4 who burned himself out. Frighteningly though, the suit had begun to move on its own before the police officer peppered the machine's torso with bullets made to pierce the defences of the Unknown.

"So we do have a lead then," Theo nodded. "We'll have to try to search out other leads in the meantime though. Please keep me informed of any progress you make in your search."

"Of course Diggers-sensei," Ozawa nodded.

With the technologically inclined working away on their searches and details, Ranma let his eyes wander. Nothing in the trailer stood out too much and to be perfectly honest he began to feel a little cramped. Having been raised mostly outdoors made him feel somewhat confined when it came to indoor living places. Backing down from the back of the trailer, Ranma shuffled aimlessly about the parking garage. He wasn't too worried about cars coming through since he knew they wouldn't be coming too fast and his reflexes were easily sharp enough for any that might be going towards him. At the current moment no vehicles seemed to be in use, indicating that any truly serious emergencies in need of police response were not happening. Other than that, the place looked rather bare.

"Almost wishing for an Unknown attack," Ranma muttered, adding a mental emphasis to 'almost'. Standing around in a parking garage while some kind of computer search was going on was not something he considered to be the most exciting time of his life.

Walking closer towards one of thee S.W.A.T. vehicles out of sheer curiosity having never seen one before, (despite some of Genma's best efforts in creating a mess so to cover his tracks) Ranma eyed all of the equipment within. He had to admit that it all certainly looked intimidating enough to the usual criminal. Of course, the Ranma's eyes he was already looking for flaws he could exploit should he ever meet up against someone who wore or used such equipment and had a grudge against him. To be honest, he had half-expected to see S.W.A.T. team members during some of the more destructive spats that the Wrecking Crew worked themselves up into or the times when Principal Kuno would start riots at Furinkan in response to his increasingly stupid rules.

Turning back to the G3 Trailer, Ranma decided to check on how the search for G4 was progressing. Eyeing the trailer though, he thought he saw something duck behind it on the opposite side. Frowning at the sight, Ranma began to approach the trailer with some caution. One didn't survive overly-aggressive fiancées, psycho/stupid rivals, and murderous kaijin by ignoring details pertaining to fights after all. Approaching the vehicle, he allowed his body to begin preparing for another fight, just in case.

A sudden rattling noise captured his attention from behind. Turning to face it, he saw what appeared to be a small black canister of some kind rolling towards him. It didn't seem particularly threatening, little more than the size of a large soda can. Ranma eyed the strange object for a moment, wondering if some animal that wandered into the garage knocked it from where an officer had set it down. The black canister rolled to a stop at his feet, looking as unthreatening as ever.

"Weird," he frowned.

BOOM!

The canister suddenly exploded with a loud bang with an equally bright flash. The explosion itself didn't really harm Ranma nor would it have harmed anyone else beyond some disorientation from the flash. What really threw Ranma for a loop was the blast of white gas that assaulted his senses. Coughing, Ranma accidentally inhaled the smoke, which immediately took effect. His limbs began to feel heavy while his eyes watered and his mind began to turn fuzzy. Stumbling back, Ranma tried to escape the smoke so he might be able to wash out the gas with clean air. However…

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

The tell-tale bangs of several more similar canisters went off, including an echoing one which seemed to have been placed inside of the G-Trailer. The cries of shock and surprise followed by coughing and hacking of the others quickly reached Ranma's ears. Struggling to make it to the trailer, Ranma made slow progress with his limbs becoming increasingly rebellious in his movements. Stumbling against the flat ground, he hit the side of the trailer, using it as a guide to attempt to teach the open back.

"Don't move freak!"

'_Kuso!_' Ranma cursed mentally. It was the only thought he was capable of giving off before a crack to the back of his head sent him to the ground. Hitting the concrete hard, he heard the shouts of his comrades and shuffling boots as more people seemed to come out of the smoke.

"Targets acquired," the man behind Ranma spoke. "We're bringing them to the transport."

Ranma's world went black.

* * *

**Diggers House**

Brianna heaved a sigh as she looked up from her latest peebo project. Normally she could go for hours working on a project, never coming out of her room for anything beyond bathroom breaks and meals when she finally realized she was hungry. Of course, that attitude changed when she finally snagged Ranma as her muffin. After she found herself in a stable relationship with the ponytailed amnesiac, suddenly it didn't seem so bad that her sisters both had men in their lives. Funnily enough, it was like the sisters all had the same taste in men. Strype, Ryan, and Ranma were all crazy strong fighters, each with their own special sets of abilities. Not to mention they had all those studly muscles, washboard abs, buns of steel, eyes you could drown in, hearts of gold, killer smiles…

*Drool*

Shaking her head of thoughts concerning a triple beefcake sandwich, Brianna exited her room while wiping her mouth. She needed a cup of coffee and needed it now lest she dehydrate herself or something. Travelling down the stairs, she eyed Brittany and Strype snuggled on the couch, enjoying some Japanese movie about seven samurai, (English subtitles included of course). Deciding to let the two have their moment, the youngest Diggers entered the kitchen to find Genn reading a newspaper in his/her neutral form. Kasumi was likewise there, enjoying tea and holding a pleasant conversation with Julia, apparently talking about some of the funnier times which both women enjoyed with their respective Ranmas. Kasumi was telling the story of her Ranma being forced to go on a date with a panda doodle that had come to life, much to Julia's amusement, both in regards to dating a doodle and the fact that Kasumi's youngest sister managed to get insanely jealous over it.

"Really? Jealous over a doodle?" Julia giggled into her hand. "And then at the end instead of a kiss she just wanted a good-night headbutt? Oh that is too much!"

"I swear it's true!" Kasumi tittered. "She was just so cute in her own childish way I don't think any of us could have denied her in the end!"

'_Jealous over a doodle? How insecure is that?_' Brianna snorted mentally as she went for the coffee machine. She really had to wonder what kind of idiot this Akane girl was if she would go postal over just about anything, her family and academic situation offering only so much of an excuse. Granted, being hounded by a hoard of boys who were under the delusion that if they beat you up, you would date them would grate the nerves a little and being forced into an engagement you didn't want with both parents jumping down your throat at every opportunity to force a wedding sure didn't help. Still, from what Brianna had heard it seemed like Akane had pegged Ranma as the source of all her problems since the really bad stuff never started until he showed up. Granted, he ran his mouth a bit but he had been getting better since coming to live with the Diggers but Akane's extreme reactions to a bit of name calling was definitely what she considered unhealthy for any relationship. Besides, according to the other Ranma's story, more often than not it was Ranma's father who brought the trouble and somehow convinced everyone that it was Ranma's responsibility to make it go away. Why people seemed to agree with that was beyond even Brianna's scientific knowledge.

Finally getting her coffee just right and taking a sip, Brianna's thoughts trailed to her current relationship with Ranma. Granted, it did start with her libido getting him to trick him to going up to her bedroom, but after he got over his initial shyness, he really got into it. Over time Ranma finally plucked up the courage to ask her out and see if they were able to make a true relationship. Brianna certainly had no complaints, although it was painfully clear that he had no experience on the dating scene but considering his history and his amnesia, she didn't mind one bit. Once he got some confidence in himself, things got really fun. Of course, some people would have argued that Brianna was just too old for Ranma since the human/were-cheetah hybrid was emotionally and physically a woman in her twenties. Chronologically speaking she was only a few years old, much younger than Ranma in truth. That sort of all evened it out for her. Her family knew that too so no one gave her any trouble for dating a teenager. Despite the Unknown attacks and duties from various jobs, the hybrid and Agito's relationship was still going on strong.

'_In more ways than one,_' Brianna thought raunchily to herself as she grinned around the edge of her cup.

"I know that grin," Genn commented, peeking at Brianna over his/her newspaper. "Will we be expecting another one of your 8-hour workouts once Ranma comes home?"

"Maybe," Briannna grinned cheekily.

"Just try to keep the noise down this time will you?" asked Julia with a knowing smile. Ah, to be young and in love again. "Your father nearly made his head explode with that skull trick when you let off that yowl even through the soundproofed walls." While she was always keeping an eye on her girls like any good mother should, Julia also knew that her babies were mature women too and as such should be treated like it so she didn't have too much of a problem about talking gossip with her girls' relationships.

"Not my fault," Brianna grinned. "Ranma found a very…'good' spot."

The females in the room gave off giggles (Genn included) at the innuendo. Again, Kasumi may have been considered a 'proper' girl but she had to admit that Brianna seemed to be one of the many girls that she met on her journey that genuinely cared for Ranma. So in place of the Kasumi of Agito World, she approved. Brianna seemed to be doing a world of good for her little brother Agito, amnesia aside, so she couldn't help but approve.

The giggles were brought to a sharp halt when a crack echoed through the room. All eyes turned to the counter where a coffee cup that had the words 'Brianna's Muffin' on the sides had suddenly cracked. All eyes were on the cup before the item in question collapsed into a number of shards. Silence reigned for a moment at the completely random occurrence.

"What…just happened?" Genn blinked in confusion.

"A bad omen," Julia frowned, eyeing the broken cup.

"Ranma..." Brianna whispered in growing concern.

That was when a coffee cup stating 'World's Greatest Dad' and the cup Ranma-Decade used for dinner shattered inside the kitchen sink.

Kasumi's heart sank, "Oh my."

* * *

**G-Trailer**

Ozawa groaned and coughed as she managed to regain consciousness on the floor of the G-Trailer. The last thing she recalled was working on a search for any recently purchased components for the G4 suit. What happened next was filled with sudden explosions, a haze of smoke and then being struck in the back of the head. Looking about, she could see the smoke still hanging in the air, but it was not as potent as it was when it had been first released. Even more distressing though, Dr. Diggers and the people he had come in with were missing!

Groaning again, Ozawa looked around to see if anyone else was missing. To her relief, she saw that Hikawa and Omuro were both safe. Omuro was laying over his console, still unconscious but Hikawa was already trying to get his feet back.

"Hikawa-kun, are you okay?" Ozawa asked as she got back into her chair.

"I've felt better," the detective groaned, searching around the trailer. "What hit us? Where did Diggers-sensei and his friends go?"

"It had to have been the G4 unit," Ozawa growled. "They must have known that Diggers-sensei would have come to us after they saw the suit! They played us!"

"Kuso," the detective growled under his breath. It was almost like events were repeating themselves in a way. G4 was on the prowl and kidnapping people with seemingly little to no provocation. Well, there was some provocation since Dr. Diggers and the others had helped bring down G4 the last time they reared their heads. The Unknown certainly helped in that regard, but the kidnapped friends certainly played their parts in it. "Now we really have to find where G4 is hiding. Is the search on your computer still going?"

"I think so," the female technician nodded before turning to her terminal to tap some keys. "Yes, despite all of the chaos it is still searching. Just give me a minute and…" a small 'ding' sounded off. "Yes! The components which make up the G3-X suit have all been purchased recently. We're the only ones who purchase these all in one group so anyone else who does is going to get flagged."

"So who bought them?" asked Hikawa, walking to sit next to his friend, still getting his balance back.

"A place called Fukami Industries," Ozawa frowned. "I suppose Fukami's arrogance passed on to her subordinates."

"Well, that's a place to start searching," Hikawa commented, feeling at least some measure of hope.

"No," Ozawa frowned after a few more keystrokes. "Fukami Industries is a dummy corporation. It exists in name only so it would be able to buy all of these things without anyone raising any immediate flags. Unless one knows what they're looking for, no one would suspect that the corporation doesn't exist."

"So we have nothing then," Hikawa frowned, dropping his face in his hands. He did not want to be the one to tell the Diggers family that their patriarch and the boyfriend of one of the daughters had been kidnapped by rogue military agents. He had met the ladies of the Diggers family and as nice and pleasant as they were, one would risk their own life by raising their ire. Brittany and Julia were powerful fighters while Brianna and Gina had a number of explosive gadgets at their beck and call. Telling them horrible news such as this was not a wise decision towards extending one's lifespan. Oh, they weren't the type to shoot the messenger, but messengers were still capable of getting caught in the resulting explosion.

"Not quite," Ozawa answered, snapping Hikawa out of his cloud of doom. "Usually dummy corporations have a paper trail in some way, or at least a point where the person who set it up can do business with them. If you know what to look for then you can track down the one who made them."

"That's assuming you know what to look for," a new voice spoke up.

Ozawa and Hikawa looked up to see a new person entering the G-Trailer, donned in a leather jacket and a baseball cap, his hands in his pockets. What was even more surprising though was his striking resemblance to…

"Ranma?" Hikawa blinked.

"Nope, just look like him," the boy grinned. "Just call me Kaitoh. Now, it seems like you're looking for those G4 jerks, am I right? Those guys who just made off like bats out of hell with Dr. Diggers and his friends in tow?"

"How do you know that?" asked Ozawa with a frown.

"Not important," Kaitoh waved off the question. Walking closer to the end of the trailer where the detective and technician were, he eyed the screen in which Ozawa was reading. His eyes were racing over the lines of data and characters. "Okay, so these Fukami Industry people are a dummy corporation who bought surplus amounts of components that make up the G4 suit and the tools needed to keep it running at peak efficiency. Buying them in bulk enhances the image of a company buying them rather than a single person. The problem is that once the parts are bought, where are they going?"

"I was just trying to figure that out," Ozawa huffed, mistrusting of the young man. "I think the parts are shipped someplace and then bounced from position to position until they're taken to the location of the G4."

"Like a wireless transaction," Kaitoh nodded. "You have to remember though that this isn't a wireless transaction. People are going to want to get these parts as soon as they're bought. Bouncing them from place to place is a good strategy, but that takes time. The most practical solution would be to ship it to a private address, one owned by the dummy corporation who most likely won't keep accurate records about how many parts are there. Then they'll start siphoning off sections of the shipments so to use them privately. After all, these guys only need enough to build and maintain one suit. The rest would be for the sake of appearances."

"How do you know all this?" asked Hikawa with a slight frown.

"Let's just say I have experience in shipping things that people don't want to be found," Kaitoh replied enigmatically. "The real trick would be to find out where those missing parts are going." Looking over to the still snoring Omuro, Kaitoh stood up and pushed the man away from the terminal on his rolling chair. "Scooch over and let me see what I can do." Kaitoh's fingers blurred as he typed commands and interpreted the replies he got for them. "Even though this is probably off of the books, even the crooked bookkeepers have to keep some kind of record about what was taken and where it went so they know what shipments to pad or where their extra funds are coming from. In this day and age, crooks like that are lazy so if we're lucky they'll be using computers to keep track of all the important things. If they do put it on their computers, it'll only be a question of which one to hack."

"You can do that?" asked Hikawa, glancing at his partner.

"It's possible, though likely illegal," Ozawa frowned.

"Are you going to bust my chops over a little bit of hacking when it can lead us to a group of rouge military grunts and their illegal operation?" asked Kaitoh with a grin, turning to Ozawa. The computer technician just crossed her arms in a huff and gestured for him to continue. "Great! Let's do this then!" Crossing his finger and flexing them so they'd crack, Kaitoh set to work on the computer. "In the meantime, know anyone we can get as some backup? I can do it alone in a pinch but I'd rather have at least a few folks at my back, if only to feel safer."

"I think…I might know some people," Hikawa offered weakly. "Although I don't relish the act of telling them what happened to their family members and friends, especially Diggers-sensei's youngest daughter since she's Ranma-san's girlfriend."

"Well then do it over the phone," replied Kaitoh, "We don't have time to argue."

"R-right!"

* * *

**Unknown Location**

Ranma groaned as consciousness returned to him. He instinctively tried to reach to his eyes so he could rub them, but quickly found that his arms and legs were tied down. A quick check to his equilibrium told him that he was lying horizontally on something and that he was being held down by cold steel. Blinking, he noticed a bright light being used above him, early blinding him. His memory quickly recovered his recent exploits and that of being knocked out in a cloud of gas. Normally he might have attributed this sort of encounter with Kodachi, but Ranma then remembered where he was and what he was doing.

"Aw crap," he moaned to himself.

"Looks like our 'guest' is awake."

Ranma turned towards the source of the voice and found himself looking at a black armoured figure. The person looked pretty intimidating on their own, the machinery making said person appear capable of destroying anything. What made the fact worse was that he recognized the figure.

"G4," he muttered.

"So you recognize me," the female Rider commented. "Good. We have much to talk about, you and I."

"I got nothing to say to you," Ranma told G4 with a scowl on his face. If he didn't think G4 was that big of a jerk before what with the firing of an actual missile at himself, his counterpart, and Harima, he certainly did after hearing the story of what G4 tried to do in selfish bids to become rich and famous.

"Actually, you do," said G4 as she held up the Decadriver in her hand. "What is this? Where did you get it?"

"It just came to me one day," Ranma muttered. "I don't know how it works, just that it does. That's all I need to know."

"Maybe, but it's not all that you know," G4 growled. "I recall my men stating that you use cards as battle tactics, one even transforming you into a new suit of armour. The cards we found in your possession depict a few suits like that. We've never even heard of people like them before. Who are they? What are their abilities? Where do they come from?"

"Heh, good luck finding them," Ranma smirked.

G4 didn't find the comment nearly as amusing as she slammed her fist onto the metal table, making it dent from the impact, "WHERE ARE THEY?"

Normally this kind of outburst would intimidate just about anyone. The again, Ranma wasn't just anyone. He had to deal with dozens of people who used violence to get what they wanted along with tricksters and schemers who seemed under the impression that they were entitled to whatever they wanted be it Akane, another fiancée, or him. Even if that weren't enough, having to deal with the kaijin he had seen during his journey through the Rider Worlds sort of made G4's outburst lose its impact. Oh it was enough to take her seriously, but to be afraid of her? Not even close.

Despite this Ranma knew that unless he did something or someone either did something brave or stupid, his situation was not going to improve.

* * *

**Diggers Home**

"Now I'm getting worried," Brianna sighed, removing her cell phone from her ear. "Ranma isn't answering his phone. Neither is Dad."

"Not getting anything from Ryo either," Gina added, putting in her own ten cents from where she was fiddling with her communicator. After what Julia called an omen, the girls of the Diggers house were putting their best efforts in locating their men and houseguests. So far, everything was turning up into one fat goose egg. They were getting absolutely nothing from their usual means of communication and their tracking measures.

Once the word got to Brittany and Strype, they quickly got to work with Gina on what they could do to help, but their efforts weren't amounting to much either. Strype had gone to check some of the equipment Gina had at her beck and call while Brittany went to try out her own Gina-built communicators to see if she could get through to her father or potential brother-in-law.

"It's like they dropped off the face of the earth or something," Strype frowned as he returned from the bowels of Gina's lab, meeting up with the rest of the Diggers clan sans Julia. "None of Gina's tracking programs are getting everything."

"Okay, I think it's safe to say that something's up," Brittany frowned. "I'd bet my collection of designer shoes that those G4 goons had something to do with it."

"No bet, as awesome as those shoes are" Genn frowned, his/her own efforts proving to be just as ineffective.

The meeting of the minds was quickly interrupted by a sharp ringing of the phone, but it was quickly answered. The group was silent as Kasumi's soft voice answered from another room, but it was muffled by some of the walls so no one was sure what was being said. The group felt their breaths being held in anticipation for the news which Kasumi was hearing. It was only for a moment before the call ended, but it was quickly followed by the padding of Kasumi's slippers coming closer told them that the call was important.

"Everyone!" the eldest Tendo cried as she dashed into the room, looking a little pale. "A man named Detective Hikawa just called. He said Ranma-kun and the others were kidnapped by G4!"

"Told you so!" Brittany grimaced. "Now come on and let's get suited up for a massive butt-kicking!"

The sliding of cold steel made everyone stop cold. Looking to the stairs which had the source of the noise, the group saw Julia descending with a stern frown on her face. That alone was scary enough since she was raised and trained by a tribe of some of the most battle-hardened warriors on the planet Jade, but what made that glare even scarier was the full length sword which she had gripped in her hand. It wasn't one of those ornamental pieces which most people had in the modern age, but a weapon which was specifically crafted to cut someone up into bloody chunks. Despite wearing only a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, Julia wouldn't have looked any more intimidating even if she was wearing a battle-ready suit of armour.

"Sounds like we're ready to go," she spoke grimly before glancing at her girls. "You're all a little underdressed for a raid."

"Just gimmie two minutes and I'll be ready to go Mom!" Brianna grinned almost maliciously, reminding the sisters of Grave Diggers.

"Make it one," Julia retorted. "My husband, friends, and future son-in-law are in danger. They're not getting away with this!"

"Right!" the assorted Diggers be it biological or married nodded before heading off to get ready for what they knew would be a massive butt-kicking festival. Genn and Kasumi merely watched them go about, trying not to be obtrusive. Kasumi honestly knew that she was in no way in the same calibre as the people around her when it came to these sorts of situations while Genn preferred to keep out of fights if he could help it. As the Diggers vacated the room, Kasumi looked to the equally unobtrusive Genn.

"Future son-in-law?" she asked.

"Julia's very taken with Ranma," Genn grinned. "Sees him as the son she never had. She already has the wedding planned."

"Good luck with a Saotome getting involved," Kasumi giggled.

"Oh you didn't see the Diggers wedding," Genn laughed in retort.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

Theo frowned as he stared across at the suited man who was supposed to be interrogating him, shackled to the table. After regaining consciousness, the older man was brought to the single room under armed guard and then had to begin talking to some nameless uniform that was too arrogant for his own good. The man acted like he was somehow superior to Theo just because he was normal for some reason. Over and over again, he pressed Theo for any and all information concerning the Unknown and the schematics for the G3-X.

"Diggers, we know your daughter was the one who designed the suit," the man frowned. "We also know you helped start up the database for all of the Unknown which have already been found and dealt with. Now, what are the access codes to those programs?"

That was generally what Theo had been facing for hours. Ever since Fukami had raided the G3-X plans for her own uses, Ozawa had encrypted their systems to just about everyone save for the G Unit members and the immediate superiors of the G3 Unit. That meant that the shematics for the G3-X and the Unknown database were far out of reach thanks to Ozawa's computer expertise. The only other person who had access to those plans and the database were Gina and Brianna, both password protected behind walls of security that Theo doubted the best minds in the computer world would have problems cracking, never mind a bunch of military nuts who were forced to be under budget and hiding under the radar. Apparently the G4 was under the impression that Theo had access to those systems.

"Sorry, can't help you," Theo shrugged. "I'm not all that savvy with computers. I have enough trouble programming my digital clocks."

Not a complete lie on Theo's part since he did neglect a lot in terms of technology in order to pursue his studies on magic. He wasn't ignorant on technology or a technophobe like his wife used to be, but all of the advanced things that Gina and Brianna pulled off tended to make his head spin sometimes.

"You're not making this any easier on yourself Diggers," the suit frowned. "Don't you want to help save Japan and it's people?"

'_Oh please,_' Theo thought with a mental roll of his eyes. "Don't try to take the moral high road. I know what the G4 has done and is doing in their so-called attempts to rescue people." Theo narrowed his eyes, gaining a look which was only seconded by his flaming skull trick. "The G4 in the past has tried to use innocent children with special gifts as plug ins for their infernal piece of scrap. They weren't afraid of killing people if that's what it took," he then leaned forward, making the suit lean back with the guards getting tense. "You don't care about people, you just want credit. Risa Fukami started it with her blatant thievery and criminal behaviour and it seems the rest of you are no better."

"It's for the greater good," the interrogator tried to argue.

"There's no such thing," Theo frowned. "You don't pick and choose who lives and dies. If you all wanted to protect people, you would have tried to restart the unit through legal means, adjust the suit so it isn't a deathtrap, and not do the things you've been doing. You don't want to protect people, you just want to be given credit for it, even if you have to break a few laws in the process."

The interrogator knew he was on the defensive now. Trying to appeal to Dr. Diggers' morals wasn't helping when he knew firsthand just what the G4 unit had done in the past in their attempts to perfect the suit for mass production. That sort of ruined the moral vigilante approach and it was obvious that Dr. Diggers didn't believe in how the ends justified the means in any sort of operation. Normally this would be where physical force would be used to get the answers, but it was a known fact that Theodore Pisquall Diggers was part of a top unit in America famous for dealing with strange and unusual cases which more often than not ended up highly destructive. The man was probably no stranger to pain.

"Very well," the interrogator sighed. "It seems since you aren't going to be cooperative, we will simply have to turn to your daughters to get the answers we need."

This time Theo's had did burst into flame, creating a powerful Ghost Rider effect as he stared at the now horrified interrogator and the stunned guards, "**If you lay one hand on my family, I'll show you horrors you've never imagined! That is, if my wife, son-in-law, and my daughters don't deal with you first!**"

"He's a damned freak too!" one of the guards panicked before firing off several rounds from his gun. Theo threw up his hands and erected a quick barrier, stopping the bullets cold. Glaring, the aura mage returned his gaze to the interrogator. Now, Theo could have easily escaped through any number of means which included teleporting or using his offensive spells but those plans had a number of problems with them. He didn't know where he was so if he escaped, he wouldn't be able to bring back held. That would also mean leaving Ranma and the others behind, something his personal code much less his family would never forgive him for. Lastly, he wasn't the type to maliciously use his powers on regular people unless he had absolutely no choice and this by far didn't count as such yet.

Extinguishing his head, Theo continued to glare at the interrogator, "Now, it seems you don't know who you are dealing with. Allow me to enlighten you."

**

* * *

**

**G-Trailer**

"How is it going?" asked Ozawa, watching Kaitoh work on the computer console.

"Pretty good," Kaitoh replied, bringing up numerous screens pertaining shipping forms and where it was going. "These guys really knew what they were doing. The dummy corporation has their fingers in lots of shipping groups where their parts could go. They actually split the shipments into sections and sent them all over the place. One type of part goes one place, another type goes somewhere else, etc, etc. It's actually pretty clever. If one company gets busted, the others can stay in business and keep supplying the parts then need."

"Can you track them any further than that?" asked Hikawa.

"Gimmie a moment," Kaitoh retorted.

"You have thirty seconds," a new voice spoke up.

Hikawa, Ozawa, and Kaitoh turned to the entrance of the trailer to find that they were no longer alone. Coming onto the trailer was none other than Julia, Gina, Brianna, Brittany, and Strype. All of them were armed with their specific weaponry or dressed in their battle outfits and quite needless to say looked like they meant business. Hikawa and Ozawa knew that things were going to get very dicey if an answer to the current dilemma wasn't given. Kaitoh on the other hand had a different reaction altogether.

"Hubba hubba," he grinned. Rather than wait to get scolded, harshly if the look in Julia's eyes were any indication he instead returned to the console. "You're just in time. I think I might have gotten what we need to pin these jerkwads."

"Really?" asked Gina, adjusting her glasses as she saw the data flying across the screen. Her genius intellect quickly made sense of the multiple screens and data codes. "Oh, trying to track G4 through a list of supplies that they would need in order to maintain their suit eh?"

"Hacking all of their shipping buddies to see where the parts may go," tapping at the eyes and brought up yet another screen. This one revealed a checklist and instructions concerning some of the shipments. "And here we go! This one shumck actually recorded instructions to his buddies through an email to segment portions of the parts and re-label them as special military equipment. From there, they get shipped to…" a new address popped up to the screen. "Here."

"I know that place!" Ozawa gasped, reading the address. "It's where G4 was positioned during that first incident!"

"Wasn't that place decommissioned though?" asked Brittany with a raised eyebrow.

"Doesn't mean it's been taken away though," Strype frowned. "It's all a matter of resources and priorities. Since the Unknown are still a viable threat and the equipment which was there is all but useless with the G4 suit scrapped the military probably thought that it had better things to do that recycle equipment that didn't have any use anymore." Since Strype was the leader of the Kryn, he knew what he was talking about when it came to such matters.

"Meaning those vultures in what was left of the G4 had almost everything they needed to get started again," Brianna frowned. "The only thing they needed was the parts to restart the suit itself."

"So we know where to go," Julia frowned. "Now let's go then. Now." Her voice brooked for no argument.

"Yes ma'am," Kaitoh and Hikawa nodded.

"Yes Mom," the three Diggers girls agreed.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

Ranma-Agito gave off a soft groan as consciousness returned to him. His head pounded like Brittany had been practicing her wrestling moves on him again or a bunch of Brianna's peebos got overexcited and started blowing themselves up on his bed. Sensation returned soon after consciousness, telling that he was securely tied down with metal if what he was feeling was correct. His arm and legs were unable to move and it feels like they were being pierced by more steel. Definitely not a comfortable experience.

Withholding the urge to groan, Ranma-Agito dared to crack open his eyes to try and see where he was. After a moment to focus while trying to look like he was still unconscious, he found that he was looking at some kind of lab or something with numerous computer consoles and metal cables running all over the floor and scientists scurrying about. Under normal circumstances, a person in Ranma-Agito's position would have started demanding answers. However, Ranma-Agito had experience in such situations be it first hand or second hand through his own adventures with the Diggers girls or stories they regaled him with. He knew bad guys had a tendancy to rant and if he clammed up and paid attention, they may let something slip.

"The Ascension system is running at 97 percent."

"Any chance of errors? We are dealing with unknown factors with these…things."

"Any venture has risk, but if this succeeds we will perfect the G4 system and get the credit we deserve."

"It's been a long time coming. Hopefully it won't be another massacre."

Ranma-Agito struggled not to frown. Apparently the white coats in the room were survivors from the first G4 massacre. They sounded just as obsessed with proving G4 was worth credit and praise as Fukami was before she went down in flames. If he had to guess, these guys were probably disgraced after the scandal the G4 suffered through with their unethical experiments and kidnappings of psychic kids for the sole purpose of making their suit stronger.

Trying to keep his temper down, Ranma-Agito glanced to his left and right. To his mounting horror, he saw Ryo and Harima unconscious and trapped in metal apparatus' much like the one he himself was tucked into, all three of them were connected to the cables and consoles on the floor like they were computer pieces. What made Ranma-Agito shiver though was the fact that he recognized the machines. They were the same kind which Brianna and Gina told him the G4 scientists had hooked Sayaka Kahara to when they gave the previous armour its psychic upgrade.

'_These lunatics are going to use us as power sources for G4!_' the Agito thought to himself.

He couldn't stay. There was no way to predict what the equipment was going to do to him if it activated. The question was, how he was going to do that?

* * *

**Dirt Road…**

The darkening sky was quiet and the surroundings were silent save for the odd insects and such. In the distance, the city lights were as vibrant as ever but the countryside seemed quiet for the most part. Just beyond the road was a hillside which held a silent concrete building which supposedly held the G4 unit. After the building had been attacked by an unusually large group of Unknown and the G4 unit had been all but crucified for their unbelievable breech of conduct, the building had gone abandoned after the bodies of the dead were removed.

Tonight it would be the site of action once more.

Driving up the road with the headlights dimmed was the familiar form of Gina's custom-made car affectionately dubbed the Gina-mobile. Behind it was a white and blue advanced police motorcycle which had red light blinking in the darkness. Mounted on top of the motorcycle was the blue-armoured figure Kamen Rider G3-X. It rolled up the road before it came to a silent stop. Once both vehicles came to a stop and turned off did the occupants crawl out. It had been a tight fit, but Kaitoh, Gina, Brittany, Strype, Brianna, and Julia managed to crawl out. G3-X had offered to let Kaitoh ride with him, but the Ranma-lookalike had insisted to ride in the car. At first it was an odd request, but after being crammed between Gina and Brittany it became clear why he made it.

"Well that was fun," Kaitoh grinned as he massaged his shoulder.

"I'm sure it was," Julia frowned, eyeing the dimensional thief with narrowed eyes. "Now shall we get going?"

"Just need to get our plan together Mom," Gina replied as she pulled out her PDA and began tapping the keys. "Okay, I got the schematics to this place after the last time. Security is probably not going to be as lengthy, but a lot more stealthy. I suggest we take the roads from here and sneak in through the back. If we do that, even if we get caught it should take a little while for security to come after us and that would give us the time to get and find someplace important."

"That sounds like a decent plan," Brianna admitted, but then hefted her plasma acceleration barrel firearm. "But where's the part where I can shoot these $*$^&# for snagging my dad and muffin?"

"Um…" G3-X tried to speak up.

"That should happen soon enough," Gina retorted, not looking up from her PDA. "But we need to shut these guys down for good too or else they're just going to come back for more. We have to trash them once and for all."

"Amen sistah!" Brittany grinned, clenching her fists.

"Um…girls?" G3-X spoke up.

"While I'd prefer more of a guarantee, I guess beggars can't bee choosers," Brianna shrugged. "So let's get going already!"

"Girls!" G3-X cried out.

"WHAT?" the three blondes snapped back.

"Julia-san and Kaitoh-san have already gone ahead," the technologic Rider sighed, pointing towards the building on the hill.

"…what?" the girls paled.

**BOOM!**

**

* * *

**

**Inside…**

The sounds of explosions ripped through the base, causing Theo's interrogator and guards to stiffen in shock. The aura mage took the explosion in stride, having gotten used to such things with the antics of his daughters and the various messes they would get themselves into. In this particular situation, he was pretty sure his wife would be involved too and if that was the case, more than just destruction and wantan destruction was going to be a result.

"It seems like my stay here has come to an end," Theo sighed. "My wife would be most cross if she couldn't find me immediately."

"What?" the interrogator blinked.

"I'd apologize for my next move, but I really can't find the ability to be sincere about it," Theo shrugged. Calling upon his experience, he pooled the power into his fists before unleashing them in concentrated blast which neither the guards nor the interrogator were able to react to. In that one heartbeat, the entire portion of the room in front of Theo was covered in ice with the three men likewise frozen with stupid stunned looks on their faces. Cutting the flow of power from his hands, Theo easily shattered the flash-frozen shackles holding his wrists and stood up. He really didn't want to do it, but when faced with dealing with minor guilt of using spells on regular people and letting his wife's temper stew as she searched for him, he'd rather deal with the guilt than let the woman he loved lose her temper and destroy an army with her rage.

His mother in law had enough to complain about concerning him without being the reason why her daughter's fighting skills had gotten sloppy.

Kicking down the petrified door, Theo walked out into the bare hallways lit only with small utility lights. There were no signs to indicate directions so the aura mage knew he was going to have to find his own way. He just hoped that he could find some if not all of the others he had been kidnapped with. If Julia found him just wandering around aimlessly then she'd certainly jump to the wrong conclusion.

Impulsive and/or brash decisions seem to be a family trait in both the Brigand and Diggers family lines.

* * *

**Main Vehicle Pool**

Inside the now defunct Vehicle Pool of the supposedly abandoned G4 base, Julia Brigand-Diggers and Kaitoh were systematically destroying the armed soldiers which were coming at them with assault rifles. At first it would seem like a one-sided battle, but the two entering the vehicle pool were anything but regular. Julia was trained for years to the limit of her physical potential and fought opponents who could dodge bullets such as the ones being fired at her with ease. Her young male companion was incredibly agile for someone his age and a marksman without peer as he managed to fire several rounds and destroy the weapons of several soldiers whom were firing at them. He had also taken the opportunities to fire at some of the vehicles left behind, impacting their gas tanks. Normally only a cheap effect done in movies, but the Diendriver was no ordinary firearm and caused the gasoline and other flammable fluids to ignite with one shot and the pressure from the burning fuel took care of the rest. It wasn't a spectacular explosion by any means, but it sure made a good distraction.

"You sure seem to know how to show a man a good time," Kaitoh grinned as he and Julia hid behind pillars, leaving behind dozens of unconscious and wounded soldiers in their wake.

"Yo should have seen Theo and I when we were dating!" Julia grinned. She didn't blink as a round sparked off the pillar she was using as cover. "Think you can take some of these clowns down?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Kaitoh grinned, spinning the Diendriver in his hand. "Trained by one of the best in the business here!" Just to prove his point, he ducked out of his hiding place and fired off three rounds, ending in three guns backfiring much to the cursing of the people who had been holding them. "Beat that!"

"Gladly!" Julia retorted. Reaching into one of her pouches, she produced three silver daggers. Taking them in hand, she only glanced at the various soldiers still standing before hurling her daggers through the air. More cries of pain signalled how she had struck her targets as well as less shooting from the peanut gallery. "Are you impressed yet?"

"Very much so," Kaitoh laughed.

The pair were about to try and attempt another manoeuvre to advance when the shooting suddenly stopped. Kaitoh's smile vanished from his face and Julia's frown deepened. Both of them could hear the movement of machinery in the form of footsteps. The Diggers woman and the thief looked to each other before turning to glance at what was coming. Facing them wasn't just several soldiers who were now holstering their weapons, but also Kamen Rider G4 herself.

"I should have expected retaliation," the armoured woman growled. "I just wouldn't have thought that an over the hill woman and a teenage brat."

"Come over here and I'll show you 'over the hill'," Julia hissed.

"Hmph! Like some like you can compare to the perfection of G4," the evil Kamen Rider snorted.

"Oh spare me, it's a walking death trap," Julia rolled her eyes. "A bad copy stolen from the people who invented it and made by a spoiled brat who wanted to be famous more than to do the right thing."

"SHUT UP! I INEVTNED G4! IT"S MINE! IT IS PERFECT!" the Rider bellowed, losing all form of decorum from just a few words. "IT'S PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT!"

Kaitoh recoiled slightly from the quite sudden outburst of rage and perhaps a little mental instability. Julia though quirked an eyebrow at G4's words. Trained by the Birgands, she wasn't just powerful in body, but also her senses and listening skills. G4 loudly proclaimed that the suit was her invention and about its perfection. As far as she knew, Risa Fukami quickly claimed the invention of the G4 was hers despite quite obviously having stolen all of the designs and specs from Ozawa. If this woman was claiming to be the inventor of the G4…

"Got a temper on you don't you?" asked Kaitoh with a teasing grin. Stepping forward, he raised the Diendriver and drew his Kamen Ride card needed for his first transformation. "While the suit's unique, I've seen way better. But talk is cheap, let's put that thing through its paces." He then slipped the card into the gun and extended the barrel.

"**Kamen Ride,**"

Kaitoh raised the barrel straight up and pulled the trigger. "Henshin!"

"**Diend!**"

The three colourful images of the Diend armour appeared before converging onto his body, forming the solid suit. The blue squares them flew down and inserted themselves onto his helmet, turning the suit blue and ready to go to work.

"Now come on G4-chan, show me that perfection," Diend mocked.

G4 was trembling from her sudden outrage before she charged at Diend, "RRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGH!"

Julia and Diend charged in return at the black-clad Rider.

* * *

**Maintenance Tunnels**

"Trust Mom to go off all half-cocked," Brittany sighed as she, her sisters, and their police escort in G3-X navigated the back tunnels which connected to the G4 base. I can hear her and Kaitoh going at those punks from here!"

"You would be there too if I didn't have my plan here," Gina commented. "Now come on. This is the same path me and Bri took when we went to get Sayaka out of here."

The five adventurers were travelling the underground tunnels which reached underneath the base, somewhat cramped by all of the pipes and confined hallways. If Gina recognized the description right, it was the same place where Ryo had fought the apparent king of the ant-type Unknown while Ranma-Agito fought their queen. Everyone was a little on edge considering the history of the building. It didn't help that Brittany and Brianna were crammed into the hallways thanks to their heights. G3-X was also a little cramped himself because he was holding his GX-05 Gatling gun, codenamed 'Cerberus'. It was rather sizable when it was fully deployed so it made moving through the hallways somewhat tedious.

"So just how far away was it?" asked Brittany impatiently. "I was busy fighting those ant Unknown if you remember."

"Not far," Gina replied. "With Mom and Kaitoh causing all that ruckus upstairs we should be going on smooth sailing from here."

"Then let's hurry," Strype spoke up. "I don't want our friends to be here any longer than possible."

"A sentiment we share," G3-X agreed. "So let's not hesitate."

The group travelled through the hallways, following Gin and Brianna's floor plans and their own memories of their previous trip into the base. It had taken some winding turns and near wring directions, but the group made their headway. Turning down one particularly dingy corridor, the group saw light coming from a doorway that was along the wall. Slowling down in case people were around, Brittany stepped forward since she had the sharpest senses out of the group next to possibly Strype and Brianna. Coming up to the door, she took a quick whiff that made her face shift to a deep frown.

"Something in this room doesn't smell right," she whispered. "Couldn't tell you why though."

"Then let's take a peek," Gina retorted as she pushed past her sister. Thankfully finding a window in the door that allowed her to peek through, Gina went for it. So, gazing inside she quickly found what quickly struck her as the familiar machine which she remembered Sayaka being hooked up to for the sake of empowering G4. However, what was inside was not some child with special powers nor anything remotely human. The face and body was more or less obscured by the machinery, but a pair of red scaled arms with gold bracers. Nothing else could be seen since the rest of…whatever it was' body was buried within the machinery.

"Woah," Gina blinked. "Okay…let's not go in there."

"Why not? Is Muffin in there?" asked Brianna, her trigger finger just begging to move.

"Nope, definitely not," Gina answered, pulling away. "What is in there, I couldn't tell you. But I really think it's best we leave it alone and keep going."

"But what if whatever's in there is in trouble?" asked G3-X.

"Nothing friendly has a scent like that, trust me," Brittany retorted.

"Besides, I don't want a repeat of the Dragon Pharaoh's Tower," Gina shivered. "The last time was bad enough."

"Okay, moving on then," Brianna huffed, walking past her sisters. "One more minute here is one less minute of Muffin being back in my room going for another workout!"

"Can't refute that logic," Brittany grinned. "Let's go!"

* * *

**Motor Pool**

A new battle was in full swing between G4 and Diend, the black Rider definitely not holding back as she attempted to pummel the blue Rider over and over. However, Diend was nothing if not a mouthy opponent and was taking every chance to poke fun at G4. He was definitely not failing to rattle his opponent.

"Oh come on!" Diend laughed, dancing away from the black Rider. "You call that suit advanced? I've seen alarm clocks more advanced!"

"RAAAGH!"

G4 came charging forward again, but was peppered with bullets from the Dienddriver. The bullets sparked off the armour, but didn't stop the rampaging Rider. She just kept charging, forcing Diend to dodge out of the way yet again. Rolling across the concrete, he got to his knees before drawing one of his many cards. Slotting it into his weapon, he extended the barrel once again.

"**Kamen Ride: Zeronos!**"

Pulling the trigger, another Kamen Rider appeared. This one was donned in a black bodysuit with a rectangular belt which sported yellow and green lines, the green ones forming an 'A' His chest armour was mostly black with yellow train track designs coming over his shoulders and forming into a single line with the sides decorated with green and silver. His arms and legs were covered in black armour with gold rings around his wrists and ankles. His shoulders were decorated with green armour while his head was covered in a helmet which had two train tracks running over the eyes with a silver mouthpiece and a pair of green eyes decorated with spikes inlaid with silver. Gripped in his hand was a large sword with a green hilt and what appeared to be inner mechanics of some sort.

"I'll tell you this from the start," the new Rider spoke, pointing at G4. "I am VERY strong!"

"Now THAT is a damn near perfect suit of armour," Diend snickered. "Let's see G4 compare to this."

"RRAGH!"

While the soldiers were transfixed on the fight, Julia eyed the proceedings while looking for either an unguarded exit or a weakness to exploit in G4. What kept catching her attention though was just how much G4 was letting her emotions getting the better of her. The woman was obviously unstable and obsessed with proving the suit's so-called perfection. Her rage at Diend's insults was making her sloppy and that was a fatal flaw in any warrior. Still, G4's strength wasn't tied to her muscles or training, it was tied to how much the suit pushed her into overdrive. In short, G4 was a danger to herself and everyone around her with her emotional instability and obsession mixed with all of the power that suit of hers gave her. She needed to be stopped and fast!

'_Here's hoping you can stop her here and now,_' Julia thought darkly. '_Otherwise I will and she WON'T be getting back up to face Earth's legal system._'

Zeronos and Diend made their charge, shooting and slashing at the berserker G4, making more sparks fly from the impacts, but it wasn't slowing the woman down. She retaliated with punches and kicks, slugging Zeronos away while Diend was as agile as ever in his dodging skills.

"Rah!" G4 raged, dodging another attack from Zeronos before slugging the Rider in the face. Wrapping her arm around his neck, she twisted her body and turned Zeronos into her shield as Diend took more shots at her. The bullets impacted against Zeronos' torso, making the Rider groan out in pain before the black-clad Rider tossed him away so she could charge at Diend once again.

"Woah!" the blue Rider cried, dodging yet again. "Man, that was cruel G4-chan! What did Zeronous-kun ever do to you?"

"Anyone who tries to impede on G4's perfection will be crushed like the bugs they were!" G4 roared. Bringing up her hand to her helmet as if she were reaching to remove her helmet, she tapped the side as if there were something there. "Activate the Ascension System!"

Diend blinked at the sudden order, but the confusion turned to shock when the G4 suit began to emit steam from the joints and to witness' further shock the entire suit began to emit light. The entire suit seemed to turn to gold as the mysterious power began to course through it. G4's body shone like a miniature star as it trembled and shook to the point which made it look like she was in the midst of having a seizure. Were it not for the fact that she was standing up and laughing, they may have assumed that she was.

"AH HA HA HA HA HA HA!" the manic Rider crowed. "BASK IN THE PERFECTION OF G4! AH HA HA HA HA HA!"

"Oh boy," Diend frowned.

* * *

**Tunnels**

Theo sighed as he made another corner. He could feel the vibrations from a battle up above and he knew that he had to find his way around and quickly. Still, he didn't have much of an idea as to where he was going. He had no idea where he was in the first place or even what position on a national or even global map he would be found on if he were to find one. Wherever he was, he could at least guess that he was underground and a fair distance at that, likely a military base of some kind.

Travelling around yet another corner, Theo came to another hallway filled with doors. What view viewing windows were in the doors were dark, indicating that some of the rooms were not in use while others still had light in them, indicating the opposite. Taking care to make sure that his footsteps weren't too loud, Theo began to trek down the hallway. Maybe if he was lucky, he would be able to find a technician or someone who would be able to tell him where Ranma and the others were. He'd have to be careful lest he create just more of a ruckus…

WHAM!

"AUGH!"

One of the doors in the hallway suddenly flew wide open as an armed guard was sent sailing through the air before crashing against the opposite wall. He was clearly unconscious and with one whopper of a shiner on his face.

"Told you I had to leave,"

Out from the room came none other than Ranma Saotome. Judging by the Chinese clothes he was wearing, it was the Ranma who had come from another dimension. He seemed as calm as ever, but quite serious about what he had just done.

"Ranma!" Theo called out, jogging over to the counterpart of his potential son-in-law. "Are you all right?"

"Sure," Ranma sighed. Raising his hand, he revealed the Decadriver. "G4 and her goon squad tried to interrogate me about my suit. After the explosions went off, G4 ran off. Her next goomba try to hold me and get the information. I just decided I wasn't going to cooperate."

"I'm just glad to see you aren't hurt," Theo nodded. "Now let's see if we can't fight the others. We need to get out of-"

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

**Unknown Creature Holding Room**

Within the confines of the room which the Diggers daughters and their two allies had passed, the red reptilian creature began to stir before one crimson eye snapped open.

"_Agito…_"

* * *

**Motor Pool**

"WOAH!"

Diend ducked as Zeronos went flying overhead and smashed into a ruined vehicle. The blue Rider was dealing with an opponent who had gotten a huge boost of power from some unknown source and it was quickly turning into a one-sided battle despite numbers being on the side of Diend and his summons. G4 had gone from a simple berserker to a damn war machine as she plowed through any and every assault that the two Riders were sending her way.

"This is getting us nowhere," Diend growled. Reaching to his side case, he snatched up two more cards and slotted them into his weapon. "Maybe more weapons could do the trick."

"**Kamen Ride: Ixa!**"

"**Kamen Ride: Zolda!**"

Diend took aim at G4 and pulled the trigger. In a pair of flashes, two new Riders appeared. The first was the familiar green technologic Rider from Ryuki World, Zolda. The second Decade would have recognized as the one he had fought at the Smart Brain school back Faiz World. Both of the Riders raised their preferred firearms and began to open fire, unleashing rapid-fire bullets at the golden G4. The empowered Rider didn't seem very concerned about the bullets and just continued to attack with her usual berserk charges, forcing the two Riders to get out of the way.

Zolda got back from the rampaging G4 and drew one of his Advent Cards and opened his Magnu Visor before slipping the card inside and activating it, "_Shoot Vent!_" The effect was instant and the large cannon styled after his contract's arms appeared in his hands. Hefting the massive gun, Zolda took aim at the golden G4 before unleashing an explosive shell with a large boom signalling its release. The shell hit and produced a huge explosion on impact.

Ixa converted his weapon into Calibur Mode and said, "Return that life to God," as he saw G4 coming out of the flames. He started swinging and slashing at G4. Zeronos finally managed to recover as well and charge in with his Zerogasher. Both Riders attacked solidly and without pause. Their blades impacted against G4's golden armour, making sparks fly. Yet, for all the strikes which were landing, they might as well have been hitting her with toothpicks if the reactions G4 was having to their blows were any indication. The golden Rider just laughed at their attempts before grabbing both Riders by their wrists and with a rather savage cry, threw them into Kamen Rider Zolda, knocking them all to the ground.

"Now you will feel my perfection!" G4 hissed.

With an electric crackling noise, golden voltage shot between G4's horns. Her stance shifted so that she was kneeling slightly as golden energy crackled off of her body and created a glowing imprint of her horns on the floor beneath her, making the concrete glow from the heat. She then inhaled deeply and the glowing stopped while her right leg began to shine more brightly than the rest of her armour. G4 then moved, leaping high into the air before positioning herself for a flying side kick. How she got that high was a mystery, but the weight of her suit helped her come down fast and hard. She collided with the three Riders and instantly caused an explosion which ripped the three Riders apart into pixels. The flames went up quickly, leaving G4 standing alone.

"O…kay," Diend blinked. "I know for a fact that the G-series couldn't do anything like that before."

"It certainly explains why they took Ranma and the others," Julia frowned.

"Correct," G4 nodded. "Those…things, are finally putting their efforts towards a worthy cause. With their help, G4 has reached the perfection it so richly deserves. Soon the taint which was so unjustly given will be removed!"

"Obsessed much?" the blue Rider blinked.

* * *

**Unknown Creature Holding Room**

The expansive machinery which held the creature still began to fail as consciousness returned to the beast. The metals rattled and shook as the occupant fought its containment, and was slowly winning.

"_Agito…Agito…_"

* * *

**Tunnels**

"What the heck was that?" Ranma blinked.

"Nothing good," Theo frowned, looking in the direction that the screams had come from. "This way!"

Theo took the lead in the hallways, managing to peg the direction of the screams. Ranma merely followed, wrongfully believing that Theo knew the layout of the place reasonably well. The pair dashed down the hallway before coming across a door around the next corner which had a golden light coming from the viewing window. The aura mage and Kamen Rider quickly headed for the door to see what was going on and see if they could.

"It's over here!"

And witness the Diggers daughters along with Strype and who Ranma assumed to be Detective Hikawa in the G3-X armour turn around the opposite corner at the same time. The three women lay their eyes on their father while he saw them as well. For a single heartbeat, no one moved but it should be noted that hearts beat rather fast sometime. This was the case in this particular moment when as a united front, the Diggers girls all cried out "DAD!" before charging at their father and trapping him in a powerful glomp. Ranma wasn't sure how the man was able to remain standing with the force the girls jumped at him with.

"Are you okay Dad? Did they hurt you?" asked Gina with teary eyes.

"I'm fine Gina, they didn't lay a hand on me," Theo reassured his daughter, although he had been roughed up a bit during his capture and transport. "More to the point, how did you all find us?"

"You can thank Kaitoh, he managed to track these guys here," Brianna smiled. "He and Mom and causing hell upstairs. So let's find Muffin and the others, kick some butt, and get out of here!"

"This room here might be a good place to check considering the screams we heard," Ranma commented, pointing his thumb at the door which was conveniently forgotten in the tearful reunion.

"Sounds good to me," Brittany grinned. Releasing her vacuum grip from her father, she peered into the flashing glass viewing window of the door. In a flash, her face turned from 'ready to rumble' to 'abject horror'. Stepping back from the door, she reared back her leg with all of the were-cheetah muscle she could muster and shouted out "Git outta my way!" before violently kicking the door off of its hinges. The sheet of steel flew into the room and created a huge crash and several screams from within. Brittany was inside in a heartbeat with her friends and family running close behind, however they hadn't seen what the were-cheetah had and as such, were gaping only a few steps in.

Strapped inside of various machines were Ryo, Harima, and Ranma-Agito and they were flaring with a golden aura. From what they could see, the machines were draining the golden energy from them and pushing into some kind of storage machine which was connected to what seemed to be a transfer device of some kind. The process was apparently quite painful since the three young men were grunting and groaning in pain. Not only that, they were flashing between their transformed states as Agito, Gills, and A-Agito and back to their regular forms quite rapidly.

"MUFFIN!" Brianna screamed in horror.

Up ahead, Brittany was hefting one of the scientists in the room off of their feet so she could glare at him eye to eye, "Okay poindexter, how do you shut this thing off?"

"S-shut it off?" the scientist whimpered, his eyes wide. "Y-you can't! This is the only chance G4 has at beating all of the Unknown! It's the only way to save us all!"

"I SAID, HOW DO YOU SHUT IT OFF?" Brittany snarled, sounding more like the fierce predator her animal side was based off than a human.

"I-I've got it Brit," Gina spoke up, trotting towards one of the many consoles. Her fingers immediately flew over the keyboards, bringing up displays of the machines which were holding her friends down before triggering all of the shut-down routines, even the ones made in case of emergencies. The golden light immediately died down as did the machines sucking it away. The three Riders in the machines stopped their moans of pain, but were panting from the experience and how draining it was.

"Muffin!" Brianna cried, dashing to her boyfriend's side. She dimly recalled the machine being the same kind the G4 had stuck poor Sayaka into and quickly removed all of the locks and bits holding him in place. With the last one gone, Ranma-Agito was freed and in the arms of Brianna whom was holding him tightly. "It'll be okay Muffin. You'll be okay, I promise!"

"Hey…who do you think you're talking to?" Ranma-Agito grinned weakly, making Brianna's eyes widen and sparkle. "If I can survive a sparring match…with you mom, I'll survive this."

"Oh Muffin," Brianna cooed, clutching her man tightly.

Strype and Ranma quickly got Ryo and Harima out of their own machines and helped rouse the two Riders from their pain-induced slumber. Brianna helped Ranma-Agito to his feet and even steadied him as he got his balance.

"Just what kind of machine was this?" asked G3-X

"According to the thoughts of this fellow," Theo replied, pointing at the scientist trembling in Britanny's grip. "It was supposed to siphon off the power of Ranma, Ryo, and Harima and transfer it into the G4 suit. Apparently G4 decided that to perfect the suit, she would have the power of those who had the best combat records against the Unknown. The whole unit would then claim credit for new machinery which would stop the Unknown cold after they proved themselves to the rest of the world."

"Like with Sayaka," Ranma-Agito growled.

"It was the only way. The only way," the scientist whimpered in Britanny's grip. "We can't trust people like you. We can't. We just can't."

"No, you just don't want to trust us since that would mean what work you did with the G4 suit wouldn't be as noted as the likes of Agito are," Theo frowned. "Doing the right thing is secondary, being famous for doing it is primary in your life. I'd take a good long look at yourself before you throw words like that around."

Britanny rolled her eyes at the cowardly man and dropped him onto his but. Turning to her family, she crossed her arms, "Okay, so what is our next move? We've gotta get Mom and Kaitoh out of here. They're probably fighting that G4 psycho right now!"

"Then let's get going then!" Ranma cried out. "I'm really cheesed off right now and some butt-kicking therapy sounds good right now!"

"Amen!" Britanny, Brianna, and Ranma-Agito cried as one.

"Kids," Theo sighed, rolling his eyes.

* * *

**Unknown Creature Holding Room**

The machinery holding the creature back began to come apart and clang on the floor.

* * *

**Motor Pool**

Loud cracks shot through the Motor Pool as Diend was pounded over and over by the golden G4. A forward punch sent him tumbling backwards. Skidding across the concrete floor, Diend coughed as he heard the remaining soldiers cheering for their boss. What was more annoying was G4's nearly hysteric laughter. It was as plain as day that the lady was suffering some kind of mental break. Of cours,e he couldn't just see it, but experience it to an extent thanks to all of the ways she was attacking.

"Boy this is getting old," he grunted.

"Now do you see? Do you see G4's perfection?" G4 crowed, stalking closer to Diend. If the blue Rider didn't know any better, she was panting with arousal over how the suit was doing. Then again, she may very well be doing that considering her obvious mental state. "Ah ha ha ha ha-!"

Then the gold aura died down, turning the armour black again.

"Wha-? What?" G4 gasped. "My…my perfection?"

"Wow, seems like your superpowers don't last all that long," Diend grunted as he got back up to his feet. "Normally I'm not all that vindictive, but when someone knocks me around just for the sake of their own ego, I can't let that go. So…" What Diend would have said next was lost as he suddenly charged forward at a rapid speed right up to G4. From there, he unleashed a barrage of punches across her chest and face, causing sparks to fly from the numerous impacts. A direct punch between her eyes caused her to stumble backwards, but that just gave Diend time to draw another card and slide it into his weapon.

"**Attack Ride: Blast!**"

Diend didn't hesitate as he opened fire with dozens of blue energy bolts which ripped across G4's face and torso, causing numerous small explosions. Even as the shots stopped, small blasts of sparks erupted across the G4 armour, causing the woman within to scream. The eyepieces in the helmet were flickering between their usual light blue and black, indicating that the helmet was malfunctioning. She quickly began grasping her helmet, trying to remove it.

"Well, now I feel better," Diend sighed. Glancing over to his right, he spotted Julia coming out from her cover position. "So what do you think Mrs. Diggers?"

"Kind of sloppy if you want my opinion," the redhead commented as she approached the blue Rider. "She's probably one the worst fighters I have ever seen thanks to her issues while it seems like you're not one who fights directly if anything. Used to summoning those other Kamen Riders, aren't you?"

"Well, pretty much, yeah," Diend shrugged. "So, what do we do about the goon squad? Plow through 'em or…"

"MAKE WAY!"

Diend's statement was cut off as the soldiers blocking one of the few entrances to deeper into the base were suddenly brushed aside as if a cannonball had been shot at them, a furry, spotted cannonball to be précised. The blue which struck the goons aside skidded to a halt to reveal Brittany Diggers. In her wake, Diend and Julia spotted several familiar faces trekking past the groaning bodies of the rouge soldiers which had threatened the Diggers clan that day.

"Theo!" Julia smiled, breaking ranks with Diend in order to dash to her husband. Theo of course was once again reminded that battle was not the only thing Brigands were enthusiastic about as his wife captured him inside one of her powerful hugs.

"It's good to see you again too Julia," Theo grunted, trying to conserve air. "I'm fine though…so please put me down. We're not out of the woods yet!"

"He's right," Harima grunted, pointing past the group. "The lady in black armour's getting back up again!"

The teenage punk's words rang true as indeed G4 was recovering from Diend's assault. However, her helmet was a complete write off and had to be tossed aside, showing the group who was the one beneath it…and they almost wished they couldn't see. While the person was undeniably female, her face was covered in terrible scars which made it look like a dog had ripped up her face and one of her eyes was milky white, indicating that it may be useless for her. Her hair even grew in patchy thanks to the fierce scars on her scalp. Her face was twisted in obsessive rage, but most terrible of all was the fact that G3-X of all people recognized her.

"Risa Fukami!" he gasped out.

"What?" Ranma-Agito gaped, staring at the police-sanctioned Rider. "I thought she was dead!"

"I almost was," the enraged woman snarled, her speech patterns slurred by the scars near her mouth and the helmet not being able to clean up her voice. "After you…THINGS, ruined the G4 facility and those Unknown barged in, I witness G3-X win on a technicality against my perfect G4. Then a group of Unknown broke into the control room and attacked me! They launched themselves at me like animals, tearing into my body with their weapons like I was a piece of cattle!" her breathing increased as her rage grew. "It hurt so much. I only survived the assault thanks to playing dead after the first few strikes. When the Unknown left, I searched for help and managed to find some of the G4 doctors. They saved my life. I had intended to collect my equipment and begin anew, but then I find out not only was the G4 suit inner workings damaged almost beyond repair, but my whole unit was being disbanded and most being thrown into jail! I gave all I could to protecting this country and this how I was repaid? Disfigurement? Dishonour? Death? No, I will not let humanity's only chance at survival play victim to a bunch of pencil pushers, outdated technology, and FREAKS!"

"Don't you ever shut up?" Ranma asked with a frown. Stepping forward, he glared at the scarred woman with contempt. "If you were serious about saving people then you would have worked WITH Agito and the G3 unit. Instead, you steal the G3-X plans and make your own suit while claiming to invent it yourself. Then you kidnap innocent kids and even the other Riders just to power the thing up. You don't give a damn about protecting people from the Unknown, you just want to be given credit for doing that!" Ranma's fists clenched as he continued to glare. "If you were serious about protecting humanity you'd do what the G3 unit is and that's work with Agito and the others to stop the Unknown now! They're the threat that needs dealing with! Stuff with the Agito can be found out later!"

"They're not human! They're threats! They're all threats!" Fukami snarled. "Who are you to say otherwise?"

"Me?" asked Ranma. "I'm just a Kamen Rider who's passing through. The name's Ranma Saotome. Remember it!"

"Good line," Gina grinned. Her sisters silently nodded.

"RAAAH!" Fukami screamed. "Freaks like you should know your place!"

"We do," Ranma-Agito frowned as he Ryo, Harima, and G3-X stood next to Ranma, their faces resolute. "We are the protectors of humanity. We could have just ignored our powers or did what we wanted, but we chose to protect people from the likes of the Unknown. And we'll keep doing it even though people like you think otherwise."

Ranma drew out the Decadriver and attached it to his waist, summoning his Ride Booker at the same time. Ranma-Agito's belt likewise appeared as he took his transformation pose. Harima crossed his arms at his waist, summoning his own belt. Ranma opened his Decadriver and drew his familiar Decade card. Finally the four young men called out that familiar phrase, "Henshin!"

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!**"

In flashes of light and sound, the four young men transformed into the Kamen Riders Decade, Agito, Gills, and A-Agito. They along with G3-X stood in a line, ready to confront Fukami and her monstrous G4 as well as the corruption that it stood for. Flesxing their arms and moving into battle positions, they prepared to fight once more. With Decade, his Ride Booler opened up before spitting out three cards which he caught. They were blank at first, but then filled with images of Agito, his symbol, and the Final Form Ride card. Decade smiled, having finally earned the power of Agito in his arsenal.

* * *

**Unknown Creature Holding Room**

The stress became too much. The machinery failed and collapsed, leaving the lone occupant of it all free to move once more.

"_AGITOOOOOOO!_"

The room went up in flames.

* * *

**Motor Pool**

Alarms started to blare while sirens sounded off, alerting everyone in the base that someone had just gone very wrong.

"**Warning! Unknown containment facility has failed! All personnel report to battle stations! All unnecessary personnel evacuate the facility! Mobilize G4! This is not a drill!**"

"Unknown?" Brianna blinked, but then her eyes widened in horror as she remembered something she and her sisters saw while travelling through the tunnels. "Wait, you mean these guys have an Unknown locked up down below?"

"What?" the five Riders cried, looking to Fukami.

"To fight the enemy, fight fire with fire," she growled, standing up. "Its power would have made G4 even more perfect!"

"You and your perfection obsession," Diend sighed. Shaking his head, he took out one of his cards and slipped it into the Diendriver. "Well, I've done my good deed in helping get the boos out of their cages. Now I've got my own errands to deal with. Adios!"

"**Attack Ride: Invisible!**" Diend's entire form blurred before he vanished from sight, leaving the Diggers and the Riders to their fates with G4.

"Now I'm reminded why I don't like the guy," Decade sighed. Deciding to forget Diend in favour of G4, he began to approach her. "Okay, this Unknown. Where is it?"

"It doesn't matter!" Fukami grinned manically. "Only G4 can defeat it! Only a proud human can do that with my technology! The rest of your are weak and outdated! The only thing that can save us IS MY PERFEC-!"

FWOOOOOOOOSHH!

The ground beneath Fukami and Fukami herself suddenly went up in a pillar of flames which showed her shadow for a moment before it vanished completely, signalling her incineration. The flames died down quickly, revealing a blackened hole in the ground which went down several feet. However, it was what was above the hole that caught everyone's attention.

It was man-shaped, but that was where the similarity ended. Its body was composed of red scales and gold bracelets on its arms while its torso was covered in bronze armour which had angels of some sort carved onto the surface near the collar and people bowing near the bottom. Close to the heart was a solid gold feather badge which looked like it almost grew from the armour itself. The beast had an armoured kilt which protected its legs while said legs sported bronze leg guards. Its back sported a mighty pair of reptilian wings while smaller bulges which looked like developing wings could be seen coming from the shoulder blades. Finally, it's head looked like it was covered in a helmet made from a dragon's head, the reptiles face resting on the creature's forehead. Its fce was pale white with blue lips and crimson eyes.

"_Heretics! Blasphemers!_" the dragon-like Unknown bellowed out. "_You have dared sin against an agent of the Overlord? To attack and try to subjegate me, the El-Lord of Fire? You will all be punished for these transgressions! I will ensure it!_" His statement was punctuated by his hands moving into a familiar motion which Agtio recognized most of the other Unknown using now and then and one Decade instinctively knew was a prayer asking for permission to sin.

"Everyone move!" Decade cried out urgently. No one argued as they began to put distance between themselves and this self-proclaimed El-Lord.

The El-Lord of Fire didn't waste time and spewed out a thick cloud of ash into the nearby area. While the Riders and the Diggers clan had enough sense to get moving, the G4 soldiers didn't. They were so shocked by the destruction of their believed superior weapon and the appearance of the monsters, it wasn't until the cloud of ash was upon them that they tried to run. By that time, it was too late and they were engulfed. The soldiers were not spared the agony as their bodies transformed into red hot flames and with nothing to burn, dissipated, leaving only scorch marks where their feet used to be.

"Jinkies!" Gina gasped. "He…he…he just incinerated them all!"

"No, he transfigured them into flames and let them burn out," Theo frowned. "It fits what the Unknown usually do, introduce elements which kill humans on their own rather than do it themselves."

"_Very observant Unnatural,_" the El-Lord commented as he landed on the ground, facing the only living people left in the room. "_Now it is your turn. With your deaths, I will protect humanity from itself. I will not allow humanity to foolishly destroy itself with such things they cannot comprehend!_"

"Hey!" Gina cried indignantly, her inner scientist not liking the kaijin's tone. "Who are you to keep us from learning stuff and growing? How is humanity supposed to advance if we can't learn about this kind of stuff!"

"_Humanity with NOT grow further,_" the El-Lord retorted hotly. "_It has grown enough! It does not need to advance further! We will ensure humanity's survival! It cannot be permitted to grow any further lest it destroys itself!_"

"And who are you to decide that?" asked Decade. "You're not Kami. You're not the one who created us. You can't stop evolution no matter how hard you try!"

"_My master has decreed it, so it shall happen!_" snapped the El-Lord.

"Then we'll just have to beat you down and just prove him wrong then!" Agito growled.

SHING!

"**Final attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade!**"

"RAAAAGH!"

Four of the Riders activated their hissatsu attacks while G3-X began to let his Cerberus gun barrels spin, preparing to shoot. Decade, Agito, A-Agito, and Gills leaped into the air and positioned themselves for their various Rider Kick attacks. Instead of being concerned, the El-Lord seemed perfectly calm about what was about to happen. Clenching his fists, the kaijin brought them to his waist as the four Riders began bearing down on him while G3-X opened fire with his gun. In retaliation, the El-Lord pushed his arms forward and created a strange glyph of some sort out of flames and pushed it forward. The flaming glyph collided with the quartet of Riders with explosive force before pushing them back into G3-X, making all of them fall back with their suits feeling like they were roasting in overns.

"Muffin!" Brianna cried out. Stepping forward, she aimed her gun at the advancing El-Lord and pulled the trigger. "Take this!"

Plasma bolts cut through the air, but seemed to do next to nothing to the El-Lord. Logic dictated that being the El-Lord of Fire meant that heat was nothing to him. The El-Lord's approach didn't stop and instead he created a pumpkin-sized fireball. Rearing it back, he hurled the fireball at the group as a whole, aiming to take them all down in one shot. However, Theo acted quickly and unleashed his potent magic, teleporting everyone from the path of the attack to outside of the Motor Pool, landing on the gravel road.

"Nice timing Dad," Brittany grimaced. "Now is there any way to take care of flame brain in there?"

"I think I have a way," Decade grunted, standing up. "Just need to get to-"

BOOM!

"Him."

The entire wall of the building suddenly exploded as the El-Lord made his own exit from the Motor Pool. Calmly stepping through the flames and half-melted building materials, he continued his calm approach towards the Diggers and Riders. "_You cannot escape me Agito, Unnaturals. Your deaths have been foreseen and are unavoidable._"

"Just try it!" Decade growled, drawing a new card. Opening the Decadriver, he slipped the card into it before shutting it again. "**Final Form Ride: A-A-A-Agito!**"

"This might tickle a bit," Decade spoke, pulling Agito in front of him. He then pressed his hands against his fellow Rider's back, making him stiffen. To the shock of the audience, a void made of pure light appeared as Decade spread his arms out. From the void, a gold and red arrow-shaped piece of metal grew out and attached to Agito's back. Agito's arms then twisted and formed rectangular thrusters before he leaped into the air and twisted. More red metal formed from his legs and connected together while a metal body formed out of his torso and connected with the rest in a streamlined manner. Change complete, Agito looked similar to his own motorcycle but flatter and made to fly. Kamen Rider Agito was transformed into the Agito Tornader.

"What did you do to Muffin?" Brianna gaped.

"Just a temporary change," Decade replied.

Leaping onto the Tornader, the thrusters came to life and the duo flew at the El-Lord at reasonable speeds. As Decade and his vehicle got closer, they suddenly spun around and the thrusters flared out, launching the El-Lord backwards into the rubble he had created. Using the momentum from the added thrust, Decade made his way back towards the Riders and the Diggers. "Ryo! Detective Hikawa! Hop on! Harima, make sure nothing hurts the Diggers!"

The beastial and technologic Riders immediately charged forward as Decade came closer, and jumped onto the Tornader, making something of a tight fit but all three were able to find a space. Fully occupied, the Tornader took off towards the El-Lord once again. The El-Lord had quickly recovered and saw his opponents coming. Roaring, he summoned more fireballs before hurling them at the flying trio, causing explosions in the air as they managed to avoid the attacks. G3-X quickly took aim with the Cerberus and fired at the El-Lord. The bullets easily pierced its armour and even its hide to an extent, causing the kaijin to stumble out of the way from the attacks. With the enemy distracted and the trio heading for another pass, Gills went on the attack. From his wrists, the Gills Feelers extended and wrapped around the El-Lord's neck, causing choking noises. Decade, seeing the opportunity twisted the Tornader around, allowing Gills to throw the El-Lord across the gravel-covered ground before he smashed into the concrete wall surrounding the building.

"Nice shot!" G3-X commented.

"Thanks," Gills growled out.

"Don't get chatty just yet," Decade spoke up. Drawing the Ride Booker into its sword form, Decade drew another card. "Time to finish this!" he dropped the card into the Decadriver.

"**Final Attack Ride: A-A-A-Agito!**"

In a flash, the crest of Agito appeared in front of the Tornader with the horns spreading widely. The sight caused the El-Lord to flinch as he tried to throw even more fireballs, but none of them made it past the crest. Decade gripped his Ride Booker tightly whilst Gills lengthened his Gill Claws from his wrists and G3-X reloaded the Cerberus. Speeding towards the El-Lord, Decade shifted his trajectory only slightly before he poured on the speed. The Agito Tornader roared past, the crest horns cutting through the El-Lord like butter. It didn't stop as both Decade and Gills added their own blade strikes to the combo while G3-X unleashed an unrestrained salvo of Cerberus rounds into the kaijin. The trio flew straight on past, leaving the dying kaijin behind.

"_REEYYAAAAAHHHHHH! NOOOOOO!_" the El-Lord of Fire wailed as a halo of light appeared over his head whilst fames belched from the numerous wounds he had received. Stumbling backwards, the El-Lord finally gave up the ghost as his halo collapsed and his entire body exploded into hot flames, incinerating the ground he was standing on. Unbeknownst to any witnesses, an orb of blue light launched into the air from the explosion and vanished into the night sky.

Victory won, the trio flew back towards the Diggers before leaping off. The Agito Tornader quickly shifted and transformed back into regular Kamen Rider Agito whom landed on his feet, but ended up stumbling straight into Brianna because of the extra momentum he had built up in vehicle form. The youngest Diggers certainly didn't mind as she glomped onto him with an excited squeal.

"That was the coolest thing I ever saw!" Brianna cheered. "You blew that guy to kingdom come!"

"Truly impressive," Theo nodded.

"Aw man, why couldn't I do some of the cool stuff?" A-Agito whined.

"All right guys! Way to whup some butt!" Brittany grinned.

"It was nuthin," Decade laughed. "Now let's get out of here before someone decides to make us clean up this mess."

* * *

**Diggers House**

Celebration was in full swing in the Diggers house upon the triumphant return of the heroes and heroines. Of course, that included a large meal courtesy of Genn and Kasumi who had the utmost faith in everyone's ability to come home. The party quickly went into full swing as everyone decided to just unwind from the adventure and enjoy the fact that the family was back together again, with new friends to boot. However, when sake started getting involved thanks to Gina, things got a little wild.

Harima turned out to be a maudlin drunk who continuously sobbed about how he'd never get the chance to date his 'Tenma-chan' because he just kept screwing up no matter what he tried. That got Gina to giddily start give him advice on how to snare the woman of his dreams. In some misguided conception of a competition, Brianna and Brittany decided to have a smooching contest with their men to see who was the better kisser between them. Theo of course lit his head on fire out of reflex, revealing the terrifying skull image to all of them before Julia slapped him upside the head to get him to stop. Detective Hikawa unfortunately couldn't stay since he had to return his equipment and write up a report, but Ryo stuck around to enjoy the good atmosphere.

Ranma could only ponder if Mr. Tendo could do a trick like that rather than his usual big head, the pigtailed boy may not have been so quick to cross him.

Eventually the three daughters started to wind down, swapping stories with each other and Kasumi about more of their adventures. Theo and Julia were just enjoying some time together, watching their family and friends interact. Harima had eventually left as well with a much more sober Ryo volunteering to take him home. At the moment, the two Ranmas were alone in the living room, feeling the effects of their day.

"Say, I've got a question," Ranma-Agito spoke up. "Was that Nerima place really so bad? I mean, you made it sounds like it was completely insane."

"It had it's good points I suppose," Ranma shrugged. "The problem was there was so many more bad points that they're hard to remember. Day in and day out it was someone hounding me about an engagement, wanting me to die, or just someone wanting me to clean up their mess for them."

"Sheesh," Ranma-Agito grimaced. "Glad I can't remember it then. Sounds like hell."

"Well, believe it or not I thought it was normal since I grew up on the road most of my life," Ranma snickered. "It wasn't until I started going on this trip of mine that I've been seeing how messed-up Nerima is. None of the other Ranmas were in that classic regular life, but no matter how weird it got, it was way better than Nerima. Heck, even my own parents seemed to think treating me like they were was perfectly okay. It kind of wrecks your view when your own family jumps onto the bandwagon."

"You mean the mom who seems to care more about honour and grandkids and the dad who seems to think his own stomach and comfort mean the beginning and end of the world?" asked Ranma-Agito. "Man, if Julia-san ever gets her hands on Genma she'll ream him out a new one. He's a stain on the name of warriors."

"Can't say I can argue," Ranma nodded. "You really showed me what a real family looks like, you know? I mean, all my parents do is practically demand I take care of them and make their dreams come true for them and never lift a finger to help me when I need it. Mr. and Mrs. Diggers though seem happy to let the girls grow and make their own decisions in life. Even though they probably would have preferred the girls not try to save our butts from that base, they still let the girls come."

"Yeah, Julia-san and Dr. Diggers are pretty cool," Ranma-Agito grinned. "They've been the closest thing to parents I can remember and even though you told me about our real parents, they just feel like the real thing anyway. Here with the Diggers, I feel like I'm really part of a family where I'm appreciated and cared about."

"Especially Brianna," Ranma grinned.

"Yeah, especially her," Ranma-Agito grinned back. "So what's next for Kamen Rider Decade?"

"Don't know," Ranma shrugged. "Usually after a crisis was dealt with, we'd find a shard of the Nanban Mirror and be able to get going."

"Oh, is that what this is?" asked Genn's voice, the shape-shifter coming into the room. In his/her hand was a chunk of reflective glass which Ranma knew well. "It showed up just before you all got back. I was going to ask Kasumi about it but then you all came back and we just had to celebrate."

"Wow…that was convenient," Ranma-Agito blinked as his counterpart got up to collect the fragment. "So I guess this is goodbye then?"

"Yup," Ranma nodded. "Still, how about a group photo just to make a memory?"

"Group photo!" Genn cheered. "I'll go get everyone! You get the camera ready!" The excitable raksasha was imeediately out after the Diggers so they could all be together.

Soon, the entire group was together in the living room. The Diggers daughters were busy fixing their hair so they didn't look like something that got dragged in while Julia and Theo just took it all in stride as they stood behind their eldest with Brittany to their right. Strype immediately went to his wife's side while Brianna cuddled Ranma-Agito close, taking a centre position. Kasumi and Ranma stood next to Ranma's counterpart as they prepared for the newest photo in their collection.

"Okay everyone! Say cheese!" Genn grinned behind the camera.

"CHEESE!"

KA-CHACK!

KA-CHACK!

"All done!" Genn smiled. The Polaroid photos came out quickly and developed rapidly in front of his/her eyes. "Huh, that's weird."

"What is?" asked Gina, approaching her friend and glancing at the photos. "Woah. That is weird."

Everyone gathered around to see the photos and found some slight changes in them. The group was the same as a whole, but images of Decade and Agito's faces near the top of the frame with G3-X, Gills, and A-Agito were visible all the way to the bottom.

"That always seems to happen but we're never sure why," Kasumi commented as she received one of the photos and the camera. "Still, they make for a memorable photo."

"You got that right," Brittany nodded. "So this is goodbye then?"

"Afraid so," Ranma nodded as he retrieved the incomplete Nanban Mirror and the shard which Genn had discovered. "There are still more worlds out there that are going to need help so we'd probably better not delay."

"A good idea," Theo nodded. "I wish you both luck then. I just wish I was able to discover that spell to completely seal your fear of cats."

"Don't sweat it. A quick cure-all was never my thing anyway," Ranma smiled, although inwardly he was wallowing in disappointment over not receiving the cure to one of his major weaknesses. Sighing, he looked to the mirror and the shard. "Well, best not prolong this. Ready Kasumi?"

"I am Ranma," Kasumi nodded with a smile.

"Okay, here we go," Ranma breathed. Bringing the shard and the mirror close together, the shard immediately reacted. The glass fragment actually leaped from Ranma's hand and planted itself into the mirror, aligning itself perfectly got use. When the glass came into contact with the rest of its broken form, the entire mirror flashed silver and an image of another Kamen Rider appeared in the reflection. This one wore a dark blue helmet which had red markings surrounding the face area not unlike a kabuki actor. On the forehead was a pair of silver horns while the centre of the face sported a demon's face.

The world went up into silver light, blinding Ranma and Kasumi as with all of their transportations. Thankfully, it didn't last very long before the light died down again. When the light did fade away, the pair were no longer inside the of the Diggers' Japanese home but standing at the base of a long set of stairs leading up to a temple. Around them were regular streets and sidewalks, indicating that they were in perhaps a more residential district of Tokyo rather than the metropolitan area.

"Well, shall we get ourselves situated?" asked Kasumi.

"Sure," Ranma nodded.

* * *

**Location Unknown…**

In the midst of a mildly wooded area, the night had taken over the land and was covering everything in a quiet shroud. However, in the midst of the forest there existed a simple shrine. Inside, several torches were lit to permit vision even in the middle of the night. If one were to stand close to the temple, they would hear something they wouldn't have expected to hear from a shrine in the middle of nowhere.

The sounds of a drum.

Within the main temple grounds, there existed a large taiko drum which was stationed in the middle of the grounds. Why the drum was there was anyone's guess without investigation, but there it remained. However, the drum wasn't the focus of the events going on in the shrine. What the focus was on was the one playing on the drum.

From head to toe he was clad in dark blue armour. Around his waist was a silver belt with a round red buckle decorated with three tomoe. His hands and feet were clad in dark red boots and gloves made of the same material as the rest of his suit, complete with metal bands across his wrists. Across his torso was a metal bandolier which went over both of his shoulders. His face was concealed by a blue armour helmet with no facial features beyond red markings which outlined the facial area. Silver horns were situated from his forehead with a gold demon face in the middle. In his hands were a pair of red wooden rods capped at the top with red crystal made to appear like oni faces, one smiling and one frowning.

The figure was beating the drum with his two wooden rods with passion and temper at the same time, making a powerful song which would calm the hearts of anyone who was afraid while invoking pain to those with evil. The song rang with a purity which nothing infernal could even attempt to listen to without fear of being harmed. The song was forged ages ago by people who refused to bow down to the likes of demons and simply become their meals. They abandoned their humanity to become something much more, but they didn't forget their human hearts which led them to combat the forces of evil which preyed on their families.

They were Oni. They were Takeshi.

With a resounding crash, the Oni ended his song, returning his instruments to holsters on the back of his belt. He didn't speak any words and instead turned away from the drum before beginning to walk away. His song completed, he didn't have a reason to stay.

There was still work to do and the others would be waiting.

In the night, a monstrous howl sounded off.

**To Be Continued…**

**

* * *

**

Next time on Journey Through the Decade…

Ranma: A new world, new problems.

Kasumi: Oh my, what pretty music.

?: Specialty of the Takeshi Oni. Makamou beware!

?: That freakin' hurts my ears dammit! Cut it out!

?: Sit boy!

* * *

A/N: I am sooooooo sorry this took so long. Between real life and other stories, I kept making excuses to take my time. As I said before, Agito was never my favourite Rider and even when I was mixing it up with Gold Digger, it was like pulling teeth sometimes. I just hope that you guys will enjoy this over 36,000 word chapter, my longest to date! The next chapter should be more enjoyable for me so it will definitely be coming out sooner.


	12. Song of Hibiki

I do not own Ranma ½ or Kamen Rider Decade. They belong to their respective owners and not me. I am only writing this for fun and not for any measure of profit. So no one get any ideas in trying to sue me for this.

Journey Through the Decade

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 12: Song of Hibiki

**Tokyo…**

The residential streets of Tokyo were rather calm as Ranma and Kasumi made their way towards the temple they had landed in front of in their trip to the new world. In Ranma's experience, temples were usually good places for travellers to crash if the monks in charge were of the traditional type. Of course, Genma tended to pretend he was on a pilgrimage in some of those temples so they would be allowed to stay for free. Usually the monks were nice enough guys, if not sometimes a little strict in their practices and where one was allowed to go. Of course, they could get mean pretty darn fast after they discovered that Genma's sticky fingers cleaned them out of their artefacts and valuable items.

"Hope some version of Pop didn't show up here and clean them out," Ranma sighed as he and Kasumi walked up the stone stairway to the temple.

"Did you and Genma get in trouble with temples too?" asked Kasumi with a raised eyebrow.

All. The. Time," Ranma groaned. "Pop would rob them whenever he could. Of course, he'd be found out and try to blame it on me. I guess I was pretty lucky when the monks weren't stupid enough to fall for it. Pop shouldn't have crammed all the things he stole into his gi where the monks could see it anyway. We'd get chased off all the time and then Pop would either go on a rant for a while or just blame me for him getting caught and go on about 'oh what a traitorous son he was burdened with'."

Kasumi resisted the urge to roll her eyes out of pure reflex. One of Genma's usual means of attempting to make himself look like a struggling noble parent was to whine and bemoan about how awful a son Ranma was in face of his 'sacrifices' that were made for the pigtailed boy. Since moving to Nerima though, the only person who really believed it anymore was Soun since he somehow believed that Genma's misdeeds were all for the greater good or he just actively denied that the part-time panda had done anything wrong in the first case in fear of those actions threatening to ruin the engagement. Everyone else knew for a fact that when Ranma disobeyed his father, it was generally because the man was trying to strong-arm Ranma into doing something that he wasn't ready or willing to do. Usually that ended up being a shove towards trying to get Ranma and Akane to spend more time together, make Ranma and Akane be more intimate, or for Ranma to clean up a mess that Genma had started and decided that his son should take responsibility for.

It was a wonder that Ranma turned out as well as he did.

The pair came to the top of the stairs and onto the temple grounds. It was a rather modest place, but looked well enough to be considered somewhat popular. There was a house at one part, likely where the priest and his family lived. Other sections had a shrine or two, but the centre of the property had a large sacred tree growing tall and strong out of the ground. It looked absolutely ancient, but still very strong and healthy. All over the place seemed to be an aura of tranquility and peace. All in all, it seemed like the kind of place Ranma could grow to like so long as his father never heard of it.

"How nice," Kasumi admired. "It reminds me of the shrines at home."

"Yeah, it does seem a little familiar don't it?" asked Ranma. "Maybe we visited it in our world."

"Maybe."

A small clattering of wood announced that someone was nearby and turned both teens' attention to the small hut off to the side of the property. Coming out of the hut was an old man who was hunched over slightly and wearing traditional garb of haori and hakama. He was definitely not as old as the likes of Cologne or Happosai, but old enough to be an unmistakable grandfather. His hair was tied back and he sported a moustache and a beard. He was grumbling about something and he was holding a rather fat cat in his arms. As he emerged from the small hut, he spotted Ranma and Kasumi near the sacred tree. He blinked at them for a moment in comprehension, but they his eyes widened while his jaw began to drop.

"EHHHH?" the old man gaped, dropping the fat tabby. "Ranki! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be protecting my granddaughter!"

"…what?" Ranma blinked. Who was Ranki?

Showing surprising speed for an old guy, the old man dashed over behind Ranma and began pushing him towards the hut he had just come out of. Naturally Ranma didn't like such treatment, but he was so confused he just kept allowing the old man to push him forward. Despite his protests, the old man pushed Ranma into the small hut. Inside was dark with the only source of light coming from the doorway. Inside was a simple dirt ground in front of a short wooden stairway. In the centre of the room was what looked like an old well made of wood which dated back centuries with what seemed to be a new wooden ladder going over the edge.

"Stop lollygagging!" the old man declared as he pushed Ranma deep into the room. "You're supposed to be back in the Feudal Era protecting my granddaughter's chastity from that hanyou! Now get down that well!"

"Wait, what?" cried Ranma, turning to look back at the old man. "You want me to do what?"

"Um, sir?" Kasumi blinked, having followed the two. "Did I hear you correctly?"

"I'll be with you in a moment young lady," the old man waved Kasumi off distractedly. Instead, he kept his attention trained on Ranma. "Now stop lazing about and get going!" With a deceptively strong push, the old man shoved Ranma over the stairs. The pigtailed boy was pushed head over heels down the stairs and his momentum carried him to the well which he tumbled straight over the edge.

"WOOOAH!"

"Ranma!" he heard Kasumi's voice gasp.

Ranma fell down the medium-sized well and expected to collide painfully with the bottom. When he felt the bottom touch his back though, he didn't feel a painful impact but instead a sinking sensation. Around him the walls of the well dissolved into a world of purple light. Ranma's body felt absolutely weightless as he continued to sink through the world of purple light. It was a short trip and it ended quickly, depositing Ranma onto the sandy ground of what appeared to be the well. However, it was radically different. Instead of the simple ladder leading out, vines were in place and growing down the sides. Next to Ranma, half buried in the dirt was a set of bones which didn't appear to be of any creature he had ever seen before. Just looking at them gave him a wrong feeling.

"Okay," Ranma sighed, looking up to the top of the well and finding a blue sky. "Where am I now?"

Judging the distance between the top of the well and the bottom, Ranma easily made the jump and landed on the edge of the well. Rather than being inside of a hut on the property of a shrine, he was in the middle of a small clearing with trees all around. The shrine nor the old guy and Kasumi were anywhere nearby. In fact, it was like that the entire landscape had changed.

"Okay, this ranks pretty high on my list of weird things," Ranma frowned. Part of him just wanted to leap back down the well and kick the old guy's butt for pushing him like that. Kasumi was probably in a panic. On the other hand, the old guy had called him Ranki. It wasn't a name that Ranma was familiar with, but if the old man's reaction to him was any indication then this Ranki guy was probably Ranma's counterpart in the new world he was in. The only question was, just where the heck did he end up?

Hopping onto the grass, Ranma tried to take better stock of his surroundings. He could smell the air around him and it smelled…fresh. It reminded him of the isolated places which he and his father would visit during the training journey. They smell of exhaust and other things weren't present in the air, making it more pleasant. He travelled through the trees and saw nothing but pleasant greenery and plant life. Walking through another patch of trees, Ranma came across a large tree which strongly reminded him of the shrine albeit a bit thinner, the roots growing wildly, and what seemed to be a patch which was bare of bark.

"Weird," Ranma frowned, admiring the tree. In his experience, trees and such didn't grow weirdly unless something weird happened to them in the first place. Whatever it was that made this tree in particular grow so weird must have been something big.

"Oh well," the pigtailed boy shrugged. Turning away from the tree, he continued his search for any kind of sign as to what he was supposed to do. So far, that was turning up a big fat zero. All he saw was more and more trees with the various bushes and such. So far, things were probably the most peaceful he had ever seen anything be since he settled down in Nerima. That just got his nerves going since whenever things got remotely peaceful in his life that would be when someone or something was dropped straight onto his lap. With so little action going on, it made Ranma begin to wonder if he was in for the worst time yet for his travels through multiple worlds.

Coming through several more trees, Ranma came out onto a hillside which descended onto what looked like a small village. All of the huts were made of wood and actually had rocks on the top to hold the roofs down. Ranma was by far no means an architect or a historian, but even he knew from what little school he had been present for what Japanese homes looked like in the far past. While that alone would have been confusing enough, it was what was going on inside of the small village.

People were running amok and screaming for help while most of the men were shooting volleys of arrows at tall muscled creatures which were destroying the buildings left and right. They were human shaped, but that was where the resemblance ended. Their skin was either green, red, or blue depending on which of the three in total one would look at. Their arms were long and almost dragged their knuckles on the ground while all three were wielding dirty and rusty kanabo. They had no lips, but instead just a row of razor sharp teeth jutting from their mouths while their eyes were a uniform shade of red. They had shaggy white hair which trailed down their backs and black horns which sprouted almost painfully from their foreheads.

The red-skinned ogre, apparently the leader was holding up an old lady who seemed like some kind of priestess whom had long white hair and an eye-patch over one eye. She had obviously tried to battle against the three ogres judging by how her garments were dirty and had holes in them, but either her skills or her age caused her to be unsuccessful. She was strong though, her eye showing nothing but defiance.

"Talk, old woman!" the ogre snarled, it's voice a thick growl from its gut. "We know the hanyou and his pet priestess are hunting for jewel shards and they keep coming back here! Where are the jewel shards they've collected?"

"They not…be here," the old priestess gasped out. "Do ye really think they would be foolish enough to keep yon shards in one place where demons such as you would be able to find them?"

"It would be more foolish to keep them on their bodies where any demon could take them," the ogre snarled back. "Fine! We'll just rip every home down and kill everyone here until we find them!"

While Ranma was too far away to hear what the ogre had wanted, it was pretty clear that the demons were pretty darn intent on destroying the village and killing everyone there. He was running in a flash, actually pushing himself to get to the village before anyone else was killed. Dashing down the hillside, Ranma kept his eyes trained directly on the besieged village. He kicked up his speed to cross the distance as fast as he could. Racing past terrified mothers and their children, past bravely fighting men, Ranma leaped high. Using his momentum and gravity, he soared through the air before coming back down on the red ogre.

"Hey! Puke face!" Ranma yelled. "Heads up!"

"Huh?" the red ogre growled, looking up at where the insult had come from. He didn't have to search very hard before his vision was filled with the sole of a shoe, hitting him quite painfully as part of a rather powerful kick. The demon cried out in pain as the force knocked him over, releasing the aged priestess in his hand. The old woman hit the ground with a thud while Ranma landed in a crouch, eyeing the monster.

"Lord Ranki?" the woman gasped, eyeing the pigtailed young man.

"Not quite," Ranma answered, his eyes not moving from the ogre as it clutched its eye while snarling in pain. He remembered what that goofy ogre did back at the Tendo house and that was just one that liked to cause mischief. This one and his buddies were out for blood and it seemed that they were not going to be giving up with just a bonk to the head.

"You little RAT!" the ogre bellowed, shambling to its feet. "I'll devour you alive for this!"

"Yeah, yeah," Ranma frowned. "You'll eat my soul, crush my bones, send me to hell, or all of the above. I've heard it all before from things like you. You're just bigger than most of the others." Reaching behind his back, he drew the Decadriver and attached it to his waist. Clutching his standard Kamen Ride card, he stood up and opened it. "Luckily I've got the perfect tool to deal with you. Henshin!" Sliding the card into the slot, he shut it with a snap.

"**Kamen Ride: Decade!**"

The symbols of the nine Riders appeared before shifting into nine body images. Converging on Ranma, the images became the Decade armour. As the familiar pink panels slid into place and coloured the suit, Decade looked at the ogre and drew his Ride Booker. "Now let's do some exterminating. My specialty!" Charging forward, he shifted the Ride Booker into sword mode and leaped to make a slash at the Ogre's rib cage. In a burst of speed which didn't belong to the creature's bulk, the demon blocked with its Kanabo. The rusty steel didn't fare well against the weapon, denting and cracking under the force Decade had unleashed on it.

"What magic is this?-!" gasped the ogre, actually feeling the force travel into his arm from its poor quality weapon.

"No magic. Just skill!" Decade retorted while kicking off of the kanabo. He landed on the ground before charging once again, his weapon raised high.

* * *

In a shaded grove which was just as peaceful as any kind of natural area, there were several people taking the time to enjoy nature's small gifts and the peace which was sometimes rare in the turbulent Warring States Era. They were a small band of travelers, but the trust they held in each other was strong and hard if not nigh impossible to break. They all came from different backgrounds, but they were all united in their goals. At first they were all after the same thing, but it soon bonded them together into their own make-shift family.

Sitting in the shade of one tree was a teenage girl who looked no older than fifteen or so. Unlike the majority of the group, she was dressed in what appeared to be a high school uniform which had a green skirt, white blouse with more decoration, and a red bow. Lying next to her was a bow and a quiver filled with arrows, appropriate for the time period. Leaning against the tree was a pink bicycle which she used to get around at faster speeds and a rather big backpack which carried much of the group's supplies. She was currently engrossed in a science textbook which obviously came from a modern-day school, cramming for an upcoming test.

* * *

巫女

* * *

Resting softly next to the girl was a very tiny child who would barely come up to her shins. He wore a simple blue haori with an orange fur vest. His feet were visible, but they weren't human. Instead, they looked like canine feet of some sort. Poking out from the seat of his pants was a very large and bushy tail. His hair was a vibrant orange and held up with a blue ribbon. His ears were curiously pointed as well. It was quite obvious that he wasn't human. In fact, he was a demon but he was also one of the nice ones and wouldn't dream of hurting his family.

* * *

狐

* * *

In another part of the grove was a young man. He wore the dark robes and held a staff which revealed him to be a monk, a man of virtue and piety. His right hand was covered in a purple cloth and wrapped with a holy rosary, either as a sign of faith, protection against evil, or perhaps a seal. He was a handsome fellow with black hair that was tied up into a ponytail rather than shaved bald like most other monks would have. He was sitting in meditation, but it seemed it was rather enforced. The red hand marking which lit up his cheek may have something to do with it.

* * *

法師

* * *

Next to the monk was a young woman wearing a pink and green yukata. She was indeed lovely with a pretty face, a touch of makeup on her eyes, and long brown hair which ran down her back. She wasn't just a pretty face though. In her hands was a massive boomerang which though looked light in the woman's hands, was in fact very heavy. She was taking the time to polish the edges, revealing that the item was likely a weapon rather than a toy or object of curiosity. Snoozing next to her in the sun was what appeared to be a small cat, but was pure white with black markings, and two tails which marked it as a demon rather than a normal cat. As the young woman worked, she lanced a glare at the monk who was sitting next to her. The man chuckled weakly and pulled back his hand which had been slowly inching towards the woman's backside, but not before a small pebble lanced through the air and collided with the back of his head and made him grunt in pain from the impact.

* * *

妖怪退治

* * *

The rock had come from another young man who was resting on top of a larger rock, idly tossing several more pebbles in his right hand. His clothes were reminiscent of mainland China rather than his native Japanese. His features were strong and his physique was strong, that of a martial artist and someone who was bound and determined. His hair was deep black and tied up in a pigtail but was otherwise unruly. Like the girl in the school uniform, he had a large backpack that looked like it was filled to the brim. Around his neck was what looked like a tuning fork mounted on top of a demon's face, hung on a leather strip. He looked quite annoyed by the monk's advance on the young woman.

* * *

鬼

* * *

Lastly of the group was a young man sitting at the base of a tree. From head to toe he was dressed in a red kosode, hakame, and obi. Around his neck was a necklace of beads which looked like they were holy or at least religious. His feet were bare and at his waist was a katanna, indicating that he likely was a fighter. One of the most notable aspects of this young man as compared to the others was the head of long silver hair he possessed. On top of his head were a pair of dog ears which promoted his inhuman status. Lastly, his eyes were a hypnotizing shade of gold. His other features were revealing a tough and gruff person who had seen a lot of the worst sections of life but lived to tell the tale.

* * *

半妖

* * *

"Isn't that a little much?" asked the monk, rubbing the back of his head.

"Punishment increase for trying to grope somebody twice in one day," the pigtailed boy shrugged. "I'd thought you'd know better by this point Miroku."

"The lecher never learns," the young woman with the boomerang muttered.

"Sango, you wound me," the monk known as Miroku whined with crocodile tears.

"I'm going to if you don't get some common decency," the woman, Sango, replied with another lancing glare at the monk.

Over at their own perch, the schoolgirl and the small child watched the exchange between the trio. The girl seemed especially interested to the point she was only pretending to read her textbook and instead was looking at the three with an observational eye. The child on the other hand was snickering at the sight, "Looks like the love triangle continues. Who do you think is going to win Kagome?"

"Shippo, love isn't a competition," the girl, apparently named Kagome, whispered to the child. "Although the drama is way better than any soap opera me and mom have seen back home. It's a little hard to say who the better guy is since they're both so good."

"Really?" Shippo blinked. "Well, maybe…even if one is a pervert and the other is kinda clueless about girls." He then glanced at the young man in red and muttered under his breath, "Kinda like another guy I know."

"You wanna say something to me, brat?" the white-haired boy growled at the child, revealing larger than average incisor fangs.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed at the boy. "Can't we go five minutes without you trying to pick a fight with somebody?"

"Well if people stopped saying stupid things I wouldn't have to pick fights now would I?" asked the boy, Iunyasha with a frown.

"You say stupid things way more often than any of us do," Shippo huffed. "You're just the only person who doesn't notice."

"Why you-!" Inuyasha growled, getting up so he could knock the small demon child on the head with his fist. Before he could move a single step though…

"Inuyasha sit!" Kagome called out. The beads around the young man's neck flashed with magical light before Inuyasha was yanked down the ground with his face impacting against the dirt with enough force to make a cracking noise echo throughout the clearing. It was enough to catch the attention of the other three as they looked to see their comrade eating dirt…once again.

"He never learns," the pigtailed boy chuckled.

Inuyasha could be heard cursing into the dirt before he managed to pull himself out of his crater. He looked ready to hit somebody, but in the moment he looked ready to cuss someone out the wind suddenly changed. Not a big deal for most people, but for Inuyasha it meant a change in the scents in the air thanks to his sensitive nose. Said organ twitched as he caught a whiff of something particularly pungent. He grimaced and turned his attention towards the east, feeling the scent get slightly stronger from that way.

"What is it Inuyasha?" asked Kagome.

"Demons. A bunch of them," the red-clad boy announced, making the group stiffen. "The scent's coming from the direction of the village!"

"What?-!" the group cried.

In a flurry of movement, the group picked up their belongings and began making a mad dash towards the path in the direction the demon scent had come from. They raced quickly, the majority of them on foot while Kagome rode on her bike with Shippo in the basket. They moved as if lives were on the line, which there likely were.

* * *

"URAH!"

The red ogre lashed out with its kanabo, attempting to crush Decade where he stood. The Kamen Rider managed to avoid the attack though and rolled sideways. Flicking his Ride Booker, he transformed it into gun mode and shot several blasts which buried into the monster's hide. The wounds pushed out several splashes of demonic blood and the beast bellowed in pain from the attack, stumbling backwards. Snickering, Decade prepared to charge at the monster with another attack.

BOOM!

That was before the blue ogre smashed through the building and blindsided him with a swing from its kanabo. The impact struck against his torso and sent flying down the dirt path before landing on the ground. Groaning, he stood up and shook his head. Glancing in front of him, he saw that the red ogre was joined with its green and blue counterparts. All three of them were glaring at him and likely had less than pleasant intentions for him.

"Don't you see now human?" demanded the green ogre. "It's useless to fight against us! We demons are superior to you weak humans!"

"Do I sound this bad when I brag?" Decade muttered to himself as he stood up. Shaking his head, he reached into his Ride Booker and retrieved one of his cards. "Power of demons, meet the light of man! Henshin!" He threw the card into his Decadriver and shut.

"**Kamen Ride: Agito!**"

Decade's body flashed and transformed with a rippling effect into the carbon copy form of Kamen Rider Agito. D-Agito rolled his shoulders and then charged towards his trio of enemies that were squaring off against him. The green ogre laughed and charged for the Kamen Rider, swinging his rusty kanabo at the approaching warrior. D-Agito didn't break stride as he leaped up out of the path of the attack. The green ogre was much too slow to react to the sudden movement, giving D-Agito the opening he needed. The momentum of his leap took him high into the air up to the demon's face. D-Agito pulled back his fist and smashed it right between the eyes. There was a flash of light from the impact, making the demon recoil with a yell as smoke rose up from the impact point.

Landing on the ground, Agito looked at his fist, "That's new."

Well, the power of Agito was created by the Overlord of Light, practically a god in his own right. Demons were just about as far away from light as one could get. It stood to reason that demons would have an adverse reaction to his power. Well, that would make his own fight easier.

"Just die!" the blue ogre yelled, running to pick up the slack his comrade had made.

"Not today!" D-Agito retorted, grabbing a card. Sliding it into the Decadriver, he activated it.

"**Form Ride: Agito Storm!**"

In a flash of blue, D-Agito took his Storm Form. Gripped in his hand was the Storm Halberd. Gripping it, he charged towards the blue ogre without hesitation. Both of them swung at each other with their weapons, impacting with a resounding boom that sent dust flying in all directions. Neither blow connected with the intended target, leaving the to pressing their weapons against one another in attempts to overpower the enemy.

"How…are you…so strong?" grunted the blue ogre with some strain.

"Years of…training!" D-Agito grunted back. "It lets me…do stuff…like this!"

Shifting his weapon, D-Agito ran ahead with his weapon sliding up the side of the rusty kanabo. Like his green comrade, the blue ogre was too slow to react in time and D-Agito leaped past the ogre with a blue flash of light following him. D-Agito landed on the ground in a kneeling stance, not moving. Behind him, the ogre remained still. The position held for a moment before D-Agito stood up and flicked his weapon, revealing blood falling off of its surface. Behind him, a glowing blue line of power apprared across the ogre's torso before it flashed and the demon promptly exploded in a haze of fire and resounding echoes.

"You bastard!" the red ogre bellowed, ignoring its gunshot wounds as it charged towards D-Agito with its kanabo raised over its head.

"Red for red," D-Agito muttered, taking another card and slotting it into the Decadriver.

"**Form Ride: Agito Flame!**"

Another flash of light rippled from D-Agito and he emerged in his crimson-clad Flame Form with the Flame Saber gripped tightly in his hands. The red ogre wasn't in the mood to care about the suddenly change. He charged with his kanabo ready to be smashed into D-Agito's head. The Kamen Rider took it in stride used to fighting such enemies and charged at his red opponent. Both met each other in another clash of weapons, this time the sword cutting through the rusty steel and straight through the red ogre himself. The red beast bellowed before exploding like his blue comrade, leaving D-Agito to face off against the green ogre who had a black burn in the middle of its face.

"You can't be human," it growled as it got to its feet. "No human is this powerful!"

"You'd be surprised at what a human is capable of," D-Agito shrugged, a flash of light emerging from his belt to return him to his Ground Form. "One time offer pal. Leave this place and never come back. Forget your jewel shards or whatever it is you came for and hit the road."

"Never!" the ogre bellowed. "I will get the jewel and become all powerful! I'll also devour your flesh and become even more powerful! I'll be unstoppable!"

D-Agito sighed and shook his head, "Why is it that every bad guy I meet has a habit of going off into speeches. Is it my luck or just tradition?" reaching to his Ride Booker, he drew his last card. "Fine. Don't say I didn't give you a chance though." He dropped the card into the Decadriver.

"**Final Attack Ride: A-A-A-Agito!**"

SHING!

D-Agito's horns spread out as he took a ready stance facing off against the green ogre. On the ground beneath him, the glowing crest of Agito appeared before it was absorbed into his legs. The green ogre bellowed and went on the charge, proving how unintelligent ogres were. D-Agito again took it in stride and made his flying leap, running through the air before coming back down on the green ogre. His foot smashed into the demon's collarbone, the force actually snapping it like a twig before sending the monster in question back into one of the destroyed buildings. The demon roared in pain as a light began to shine from the impact point. After thrashing around for a few moments, the demon exploded, ending the threat once and for all.

"Whew," D-Agito sighed. "Even though they were dumb as rocks, their brawn seemed to make up for it." Shaking his head, his body was engulfed in red pixels before emerging back in his regular Decade armour. As he checked himself over, he found that some of the demon blood was on his side, likely a remnant from when he had sliced up the red and blue ones. "Oh man. Hope that comes out."

Dismissing the thoughts of demon goo on his armour, Decade looked about to see how bad the damage to the village was. Several of the houses were knocked over and/or destroyed along with a few fires that needed to be put out. He couldn't see any dead bodies, the villagers likely have fled when the demons attacked with the defenders doing the same when he showed up to fight them. Smoke was littering the air and the world around him was quiet. No birds, no animals, no people.

*pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat*

"Hm?" Decade turned when he heard something. He wasn't an expert on sounds unless he'd heard them made a lot, but he didn't recognize the sounds of somebody running. It was a noise he had gotten used to when people would run towards him in Nerima, be it to get his attention or try to attack him. Turning towards the source, he saw that the area was obscured by the dust and smoke in the air. He would have gotten closer to inspect the sight, but whatever was coming burst through in a flash of red and silver.

"_Sankon Tessō!_" the blur yelled, clawing at Decade with five glowing nails which impacted heavily and sent the Kamen Rider sailing backwards from the impact.

"WAUGH!" Decade hit the ground hard with smoke coming from the claw marks on his chest. Grunting, he got up to his elbows and looked at his opponent. He was dressed in traditional red clothes and had long silver hair with dog ears on his head. It was hardly the weirdest thing that Decade had come across in his journey. "What was that for?"

"You're the demon who attacked this village," the red-clad guy snorted, cracking his knuckles. "You'd think I'd just let you walk away?"

"Woah, hey!" Decade grunted as he got to his feet. "I didn't do this! A bunch of ogres did this, not me! I'm not even a demon in the first place!"

"Yeah right," the dog-eared boy snarled, beginning to reach for his sword. "You positively reek of demon! If you're going to lie then at least try to hide it!"

"I'm not lying damn it!" Decade snapped back. "I didn't do this you idiot!"

"Gonna deny it to the end huh?" the dog-eared boy smirked, grabbing his sword. "Fine then! _Tessaiga!_"

The strange teen drew out his sword in a flash, literally. For a split second, all Decade saw was an old sword that didn't look all that good. As it came out of the sheathe though, there was a flash of light and the entire structure of the sword changed. The hilt had turned into a mass of fur while the rest of the weapon grew immensely large, looking almost like a claw or a fang which was forged into a weapon. Large weapons were no surprise to Ranma, especially ones that did something weird. Still, he could tell that just by looking at the weapon that it wasn't like most magic artefacts that he had faced in his life. It was in a level of its own and not to be taken lightly. He could say that it could almost be…alive in a sense.

Decade glanced at the Ride Booker on his hip and grimaced as he compared the size of the blades, "I'm going to need a better weapon."

"Prepare to die!" the boy yelled, launching himself at Decade with a slash of his massive blade.

Decade heard himself yelp as he dodged the attack, rolling to the side. He barely had enough time to recover before his opponent came at him again with another crushing blow. Decade dodged the attack and tried to get himself some distance. The red-clad jerk didn't seem to have much skill with the weapon beyond hacking and slashing, but with his speed, the size of the weapon, and the strength to be able to lift such a thing he really didn't need it. As much as Decade wanted to kick his ass, he figured he really shouldn't since the guy probably lived in the village and wanted to save it.

Landing on the ground, Decade eyed the sword-wielder. He may not have wanted to beat him up, but he also needed to defend himself from getting killed. Reaching into his his Ride Booker, he grabbed another card, "If you want a demon, then you've got one! Henshin!" He then dropped the card into his Decadriver.

"**Kamen Ride: Kiva!**"

Decade's suit turned to quicksilver before shattering to reveal the armour of Kiva. Flexing his arms, D-Kiva watched as the jerk blinked in confusion at the sudden transformation. It gave D-Kiva enough time to grab his next card and tossing it into his Decadriver. "Now to make things fair, let's have this dog to dog!"

"**Form Ride: Kiva Garuru!**"

Chains wrapped around D-Kiva's chest and left arm, taking the form of the cobalt blue armour of the Garuru Form. A mass of red pixels formed from the Decadriver and transformed into the Garuru Saber which the Kamen Rider grabbed and allowed to unfold into its sword form. With a flash turning the Omnilens eyes from yellow to blue, the change was complete.

The red opponent growled at the sight, obviously not liking it, "Now you just reek like a wolf. I hate wolves."

"Oh come on," Decade sighed. "They're practically the same animal. Wolves are just wilder."

"Oh you just had to say that," the sword-wielder growled before he charged at D-Kiva with a wild bellow.

The two clashed with one another, their blades sending off a storm of sparks which went in all directions. The two pieces of supernatural steel screamed against one another with their energies pushing off against one another. The dog-eared boy slashed at D-Kiva several times in his attempts to cut him down. Still, the Kamen Rider was if nothing else just as experienced as his opponent in the realm of battle and was able to deflect the blows despite how heavy they were.

"You're really pissing me off!" the sword wielder growled.

"People say I do that a lot," D-Kiva grunted.

The pair pushed off one another and skidded across the dirt. They eyed one another for a moment to try and figure out a path of attack to use. Of course, the swordsman charged, showing he wasn't the patient type. D-Kiva raised his weapon and blocked the blow a second time, bringing another blast of sparks. This time though, D-Kiva brought back a free hand and lashed out with another blow, "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Over one hundred rapid speed punches crashed straight into the dog-boy's face, sending him flying backwards with blood leaping from his nose and a faint set of bruises appearing on his cheeks.

"Heh!" D-Kiva smirked, resting the Garuru Saber over his shoulder. "How do you like that?"

"Bastard!" the swordsman spat, standing up. Raising his sword up, energy began to whip around the blade as the attack was prepared, "_Kaze no Kizu!_" He smashed his sword into the ground, launching three streams of energy that tore through the ground like a volcano, leaving deep gouges in the dirt. D-Kiva's eyes bulged at the attack, already sensing that he had no way to defend against such an attack.

"Woah!" he cried leaping to dodge the attack.

BOOM!

The three streams of power met each other and exploded, looking almost like a volcano erupted only without the magma flying in all directions. D-Kiva flew from the force of the explosion before landing heavily on the ground, his body smoking from the proximity to the attack. Groaning, he shook his head and grasped for the Garuru Saber. Grabbing its handle, he used it to help him stand up before turning to face the swordsman.

"So, you going to give up and die?" the dog-eared boy grinned.

"Oh, I never give up," D-Kiva grunted. Digging into his Ride Booker, he took a card and tossed it into the Decadriver.

"**Form Ride: Kiva Dogga!**"

Chains wrapped around D-Kiva's arms and torso, taking the form of the Dogga armour. The Garuru Saber was engulfed in red pixels which reformed into the Dogga Hammer. Finally, D-Kiva's eyes turned purple. He hefted the war hammer over his shoulder and made a 'come hither' motion with his hand. "Come on bub, impress me."

The swordsman growled and charged once again with D-Kiva meeting the charge head on. The sword, Tessaiga, was swung wide and was met against the fist of the Dogga Hammer in a spray of sparks and purple electricity. The dog-eared boy growled and swung again and again, showing absolutely no true skill in the weapon beyond the basics. D-Kiva on the other hand was able to blow the blows and retaliate with a few swings of his own. Sparks of steel and electricity flew from the impacts while the pair moved around the battlefield.

The swordsman growled and went for an overhead strike, likely one of his sloppiest strikes yet. D-Kiva stiffened his legs and postioned himself. Rather than avoid the blow, he used the immense thickness of the Dogga Form to his advantage. The Tessaiga came crashing down against his shoulder, making another rain of sparks. Grunting from the pain, D-Kiva wrapped his left arm around the blade, keeping it where it was despite the pain.

"What the hell are you doing?" the swordsman demanded hotly.

"Winning!" D-Kiva snapped. Pulling back his free hand, he swung hard with the Dogga Hammer, smashing the weapon into the swordsman's side with as much force as he could muster. Considering the empowerments the armour had along with the user's natural strength that was quite a lot of power behind the blow. The awkward angle mixed with the surprise factor made for a clean blow. A cracking noise came from the impact was pure satisfaction as the swordsman was sent sailing through the air before he crashed through one of the half-destroyed houses. The force also made him drop his sword, leaving it clutched in D-Kiva's arm.

Panting, D-Kiva dropped the massive sword, somewhat interested in seeing it transform into a regular katana again. He was distracted by the numbing pain in his shoulder which made his left arm tremble. It likely wasn't the smartest move, but it was made for a victory. D-Kiva sighed as he was engulfed in red pixels which reverted him back to his Decade armour. Panting, he decided to try and make some tracks before the swordsman managed to get back onto his feet. He was quickly losing his ability to fight.

"Time to get out of here," he muttered.

*TWANG!*

"Huh?" Decade turned at the sound of something elastic being let go.

The last thing he saw was a glowing arrow striking his chest.

* * *

**Minutes Ago…**

"Inuyasha's charging ahead as usual," Miroku huffed as the band of friends raced down the paths towards the village which they called home during their travels. They could see smoke rising in the distance, making all of them frown in fear. Inuyasha, impatient as always had used his superior speed to get ahead of everyone else. For all they knew, he could be fighting as they were still trying to arrive at the village.

"I hope Kaede's alright," Shippo worried.

"Ah, if there's anything that can take down that tough old lady, I wouldn't want to fight it," the pigtailed boy grinned.

"Ranki," Kagome admonished.

"What?" asked the pigtailed boy, Ranki.

"Kaede may be old but it's rude to outright call her that!" the schoolgirl scolded.

"We're about to enter a battle and you're being a stickler for politeness?" asked Sango.

"Well, whatever keeps you calm," the schoolgirl shrugged.

Pre-battle banter and the rituals one would take to keep themselves calm when they heard someone scream, "_Kaze no Kizu!_" followed by a loud explosion which they could feel the vibrations of captured their attention. Conversation halted as they picked up their speed to reach their home and hopefully keep anyone from dying. Breaking from the path, they dashed through the forests as a kind of shortcut. They quickly emerged from the other side to see the small village they knew so well half in shambles with flames burning down even more with two figures fighting in the middle of it.

"There's Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, dismounting her bike and grabbing her archery gear.

"Let's go!" Miroku nodded.

The group dashed down the hillside and towards the village proper, running past the destroyed homes and fearing if people they knew were killed or not. As they got to the area of the battle, they saw Inuyasha fighting against a man in strange gothic purple armour which had purple sections in the arms and chest with a large war hammer. They came to a halt, prepared to move in, but at the same time wanting to try and get a read on their enemy.

"This is not good," Ranki frowned, eyeing the armoured man. "This isn't some demon who can swing a weapon or just uses claws. This guy knows how to fight and knows how to do it right. If it wasn't for the fact that dog boy is half-demon and has Tessaiga, he'd have probably been taken down by now."

"This demon is that skilled?" asked Sango, bringing out her weapon.

"I would have trouble taking this guy on," Ranki frowned.

The group froze when they saw the demon take the Tessaiga in the shoulder, but somehow didn't lose an arm. It however created an opening the demon needed and made a counterattack which struck Inuyasha in the ribs and sent him sailing across the village, leaving Tessaiga at the demon's feet.

"Move!" Sango barked, the group of friends prepped their weapons and began their charge. Ranki grabbed the tuning fork from his neck while Kagome slipped an arrow into her bow. Taking aim, the arrow began to glow with holy light before she shot it across the battlefield. The demon, as it turned, changed forms into a green-eyed pink suit of armour. It didn't even get a moment to blink before the arrow collided with its chest in an explosion and sent it hurtling backwards into the ground. Miroku and Sango charged forward to follow up on the attack while the demon recovered. However, the demon didn't stir and instead flashed white for a moment but otherwise remained still.

"Is it dead?" asked Shippo, calling to his friends.

Miroku and Sango approached the downed demon, but once they were close enough they gasped in shock. Miroku turned to look at his friends, "It's a human! He's unconscious but he's alive!"

"And he looks just like Ranki!" Sango added.

"What?-!" Kagome and Ranki gasped.

"I could have told ye that much," the voice made Ranki, Shippo, and Kagome turn to see who had spoke. To their surprise, they saw the villagers returning to their home and a hobbling Kaede being assisted by two of the village women. She looked roughed up, but otherwise healthy. "Although you are mistaken if ye think that young man is responsible for all of this. I know not why he wears the same face as Lord Ranki, but it was a band of ogres that brought this destruction on us. Still, Inuyasha did not help things when he jumped to conclusions yet again."

Ranki and Kagome glanced at each other and then over in the direction where Inuyasha had been sent sailing. Sighing, Ranki turned to the trail of destruction and headed to where his sort-of friend had fallen, "I'll go get the dog. He's gonna be pissed though."

"What else is new?" Shippo chuckled.

* * *

**Elsewhere…**

It was not only Inuyasha and his group of friends who were dealing with the strange an unusual. Out in the grasslands of the countryside, another odd group was travelling in their on search for something. It was only a small group of four, but they had a strong bond to one another even if one of them would deny placing any sort of value in such 'frivolous' things.

The first of the group was a simple dragon steed which walked on four legs and had two heads. Its back sported an ornate saddle and its mouths were covered by muzzles, a good practice since the beast could shoot fire and thunder from its mouths. Unlike most demons, this one was quite benevolent by allowing people to ride on its back. It normally didn't have a name, but it did receive one from the one on its back, becoming known as Ah-Un

* * *

竜

* * *

On Ah-Un's back was a tiny girl who barely seemed ten, if not twelve years of age. She had long black hair with a ponytail at the side. She also wore a nice orange and yellow yukata. She had an easy smile on her face as she stroked Ah-Un's mane. It was odd for a human child to be riding on a youkai's back, but in the troubled times they lived in just about anything was possible. She was hardly afraid of the creature, meaning that she was quite familiar.

* * *

童

* * *

Next in the group was a squat demon with green skin and amphibian features which included large bulbous yellow eyes. He was dressed in the robes of an imperial retainer, possibly meaning that he was an important person. Clutched in his hands was a staff that had two heads carved into the top, one that of a woman and one that of an old man. It was a macabre item, but it was mystical and of great importance. The little demon seemed to be panting slightly from moving to keep up with the dragon, but he had the stamina for it.

* * *

カッパ

* * *

The leader of the group was a majestic man who filled the role to perfection. He wore regal robes with black armour that covered his torso with a spiked band circling his left shoulder. Strapped on his side was a pair of swords one a traditional katana while the other was a two-sided Chinese sword. The sensations coming from the swords however, were direct opposites of one another. One sword felt almost heavenly while the other was hellish. The man himself only had one arm, but his right arm had sharp inhuman nails and magenta stripes on his forearms. Over his right shoulder hung a length of fur which could be taken as some kind of furry tail. His face was strikingly handsome, framed by long silver hair. He face was marked on the cheeks with more magenta stripes and a magenta crescent moon on his forehead. His eyes were a bright gold, but his face overall was as piercing as arctic ice.

* * *

大妖怪

* * *

The group was walking along the grass, littered only by some hills and a large rock or two. They walked at a brisk pace, one that most humans wouldn't be able to keep up with for very long much less one like the little girl sitting on the back of the dragon. The man was silent while the girl hummed a nonsense song to herself while making small braids in the dragon's hair that she would leave untied so they would come apart which would allow her to start over again. The small kappa next to them simply tried his best to ignore the girl and keep up with his master as a good retainer should, although his patience looked like it was waning.

The powerful demon seemed to ignore the song, but quite suddenly he stopped moving. Then, with his voice as cold as his eyes he spoke, "Rin. Silence."

"Yes Lord Sesshomaru," the girl nodded, immediately stopping her noise.

"Is something wrong mi'lord?" asked the toad-like demon, catching up to his master.

The silver-haired demon remained silent, staring into the horizon. Neither the small demon or the girl knew what their lord was looking at, but they knew that it wasn't a good idea to question anything he did. Well, the small demon knew better since it would result in him getting attacked. The girl, Rin, would just have absolute faith in whatever Sesshomaru did as something he knew what to do.

"Rin. Jaken. Step back," Sesshomaru spoke, the knuckles on his hand cracking in preparation of attacking.

Ah-Un took the silent order and stepped back with Rin on his back while Jaken scrambled away. Sesshomaru remained where he stood, waiting for something to appear. The Daiyoukai's instincts were proven true when the air several feet in front of the small group was suddenly engulfed in shimmering liquid-like silver. Rin and Jaken gasped in shock at the sight of the substance, but Sesshomaru remained stoic at the sight. From the silver veil emerged a young man in a leather jacket and ball cap with jeans. Held in his hands were what to the group looked like squares with mirrors inside of them, but should Kagome or Ranma have seen them, they would have recognized them as CDs.

"Guards sure were pushy even if an El-Lord torched their boss," the young man grumbled as he put the discs into his jacket. Coming onto the grass, he suddenly blinked and looked around before he spotted Sesshomaru and his followers. "Holy crap, that was fast. I wasn't expecting to see you for at least a little while." When Sesshomaru didn't reply, the young man grinned and simply continued with his talking. "So, you're the famous new Lord of the West, right? Son on Inu-no-Taisho, Sesshomaru, right?"

"I am he," Sesshomaru answered. "Who are you? You look like a fake demon I know of but your scent is vastly different."

"Just call me Kaitoh," the young man grinned. "I'm a treasure hunter who's come to this world to find what wonders it may hide."

"Then you seek the Shikon-no-Tama?" Jaken frowned, unsure what to make of the situation. "It seems everyone and their mothers are after it."

"Ugh. That hunk of glass? No way!" Kaitoh gagged. "Wish granting items are a dime a dozen. Besides, I don't need one that threatens to consume the people who make a wish on it thanks to that gestalt demon that's sealed inside."

"Then what is your quarry?" demanded Sesshomaru. Kaitoh didn't seem at all nervous at being in the Daiyoukai's presence and simply shrugged.

"Since you asked, I heard stories talking about how Inu-no-Taisho had a pair of swords made from his fangs. One was capable of killing a hundred enemies in a single blow while the other was capable of bringing a hundred people back to life." The treasure hunter began to grin. "The Tessaiga and the Tenseiga. Now those swords are a class all of their own." His eyes took on a calculating gleam in his eyes as he glanced at the pair of swords at Sesshomaru's side. "Would you happen to know where I can find those weapons?"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, silly me!" Kaitoh laughed. "If those swords were made from his fangs then it just makes sense that his sons would have them." He asked Sesshomaru, "So, which one do you have? Is it the Tessaiga or Tenseiga?"

Sesshomaru's grip tightened around the hilt of his prize sword.

"Hm..." Kaitoh tapped his chin, "I guess it doesn't matter. Either way I'll get one of them from you so do you mind handing them over?"

Sesshomaru slowly slid the blade out of its sheathe.

"I'm guessing that's a no," Kaitoh sighed. "Oh well." His eyes narrowed as his expression turned serious. "Dear Daddy always said that it's no fun without the challenge." He took out his signature weapon and transformation device known as the Diendriver and flashed his card at them, twirling the gun around in his hand before he slid the card into the chamber on the side and pushed the barrel forward to extend it.

"**Kamen Ride..."**

Kaitoh raised the gun to the air and called out, "Henshin!" He pulled the trigger.

"**Diend!"**

Green, blue and red images danced around Kaitoh and Rin exclaimed, "Ghosts!" before the images converged upon Kaitoh, donning him in a suit of monotone armor. Floatng above him was his insignia which then turned into blue bars which came down and attached to his visor, filling in his colors.

In a challenging tone, Kaitoh now Kamen Rider Diend, demanded, "Your sword, monsieur. S'il vous plait."

Sesshomaru didn't reply as he immediately charged forward, looking to the normal as as little more than a white blur. Most humans would never have been able to see the attack coming or even react to it in time. They would have been sliced on the spot before they could even make a move to dodge.

Of course, Kamen Rider Diend was hardly the average human.

Sesshomaru came in close and swiped with his blade, expecting to cut the strange human through his torso. Diend quickly began his own movement, going into a blue blur which had him bend backwards, missing the edge of the Tokijin. Sesshomaru noticed the movement before the barrel of the Diendriver came up to point at his forehead.

BANG!

Sesshomauru dipped too the side, dodging the bullet quite literally before spinning and using the centrifugal force to strike an even more damaging blow at his blue opponent. Once again, Diend slipped around the blow. Taking one step back, he grabbed one of his cards from his side case before slotting it into his weapon and activating it.

"**Attack Ride: Blast!**"

Diend unleashed several homing blue bolts of energy which sizzled through the air. Sesshomaru quickly reacted and slashed his sword to block each blow, although it was enough for him to take a step back so to be able to strike all of the blows.

The exchange only took less than five second.

"Whew!" Diend laughed, flexing his joints. "Haven't had to move like that in a while!"

"Is that all you can do, then it would appear you would not be claiming my sword," stated Sesshomaru.

"I never said I was done, but it would appear that I'm going to need some help," said Diend as he pulled the barrel back into the gun before he reached to the card holder on his belt and drew three cards. He slid the cards in one at a time before sliding the barrel forward.

"Say hello to my friends," said Diend as he aimed his gun.

"**Kamen Ride: Sasword! Knight! Saga!"**

Diend pulled the trigger and three spheres of intense light burst from the barrel of his weapon. The spheres burst only a few feet away from Sesshomaru, forming more of what Rin squealed about as 'ghosts' before forming into three new bodies donned in strange suits of armor. The first was the familiar form of Kamen Rider Knight from the world of Ryuki no Sekai. The second was Kamen Ride Sasword from Caucasus no Sekai. The third was a Rider donned in a black bodysuit with silver armor that had castle tower-like shoulder pads, a chest plate covered with a stained glass window from a church, a helmet with large blue eyes styled like it was wearing a crown, and wielding a long thin red sword. This was the future of baby Taiga in Kiva no Sekai, Kamen Rider Saga.

"Get'em boys!" Diend ordered, the three Riders charging towards Sesshomaru with their weapons raised.

The Lord of the West narrowed his eyes as the three strange warriors charged at him with their weapons ready to strike him. Knight approached first swinging wide, but was blocked by the demonic steel of the Tokijin, making a blast of sparks from the steel. The scorpion rider followed up with an attack from the side, but the daiyoukai easily sidestepped the attack, causing knight to stumble from the lack of resistance suddenly appearing. Saga picked up the slack by thristing with his jacorder aimed at Sesshomaru's unprotected collarbone. The Fangire King was able to perform higher than any human, and it certainly showed with how close he got to piercing Sesshomaru's body, but the daiyoukai had earned his position through combat and strife in a time where war was commonplace between both humans and demons. His instincts were honed down to a wire and his reflexes even more though. He dipped around the attack and slashed Saga across the chest, knocking him back.

Sesshomaru eyed his opponents and noticed Knight and Sasword recovering from their last failures of attacks and moved quickly. Chanelling his power into the Tokijin, he unleashed another slash, this time launching a stream of pure demonic energy which his sword was known for unleashing. The blast seared through the air like a monster bent on revenge, understandable considering the source of the weapon's power. Sasword saw the blast coming and made a dash ot avoid it, but Knight was trying to get his balance from his earlier stumble only to be struke by the Tokijin's attack, resulting in a sizable explosion which ended the Rider.

"Ouch," Diend grimaced that had to hurt. Shaking his head, he continued to observe, "Still, not quite what I'd expect from a sword that can kill 100 demons or on that can revive 100 people. Obviously that thing isn't either so the one on his hip must be." Nodding, he spoke up to his minions. "Saga! Sasword! You two know what to do!"

Both Riders didn't show they heard, but they immediately moved into action. Saga lashed out with his jacorder, turning the red rapier-like weapon into a whip which cut through the air, crashing against Sesshomaru's defence which the daiyoukai raised with his sword. The energy of fangire and demon crashed against one another, bringing a rainbow of sparks off one another and keeping Sesshomaru still for the moment while. A moment which would last for an eternity for Sasword.

"**Clock Up!**"

Sasword vanished into a purple blur which likewise disappeared. In the time it took for everyone to blink, the second sword on Sesshomaru's hip vanished as if into thin air while the daiyoukai was dealing with Saga.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jakken gasped, noticing the sudden change. "The Tenseiga! It's gone!"

The golden-eyed demon glanced at his side, revealing that indeed the sword itself was gone. While he never cared much for a weapon that could not kill, he felt...aggravated that the weapon was taken.

"**Clock Over!**"

Sasword reappeared in front Diend, holding the sheathed Tenseiga in his hand and was holding it up to Diend for inspection.

"So this is the Tenseiga huh?" Diend grinned. "Nice. Looks a lot more humbler than I thought, but treasures come in all shaped and sizes." He took the sword and attached it to his back, energy from his armor keeping it in place. "Our business is complete."

"Return my sword or suffer my wrath," Sesshomaru threatened.

"Actually, I'm going to be leaving here alive. Au revoir," said Diend as he pulled his Diendriver's trigger. "Have fun with my friends."

"**Attack Ride: Invisible!"**

Diend's form rippled and then vanished into thin air. Sesshomaru would have been able to follow on his advanced sense of scent. Unfortunately, he was being attacked by both of Diend's constructs. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed and he even revealed a hint of his teeth in a snarl. He raised his blade, the blue energy of the Tokijin shining ominously on it steel.

"_Soryuha!_"

BOOOM!

A dragon-like blast lightning energy erupted from the Tokijin, ripping through the air and ground both before colliding with both Kamen Riders. The attack obliterated both o them in fiery explosions, leaving only charred earth in their wake. The energy quickly died down, revealing the amount of damage in front of the stoic-looking, but obviously enraged daiyouki.

"Oh that dirty thief!" Jakken cursed. "How dare he steal Lord Sesshomaru's sword?-!"

"What a meanie!" Rin huffed, puffing her cheeks.

Sesshomaru stayed in the spot before he slowly sheathed his sword. After a moment of not moving, likely to compose himself. After a moment, he finally spoke again, "We're leaving."

"Yes Lord Sesshomaru!"

* * *

**Tokyo**

Meanwhile, back in modern Tokyo, Kasumi was worried about Ranma. He hadn't returned yet and she felt anxious. Ever since Mr. Higurashi pushed Ranma into that well where he vanished, she had been waiting patiently for him at the sacred tree, hoping he'd come out soon and let her know what was going on. Just what were they supposed to do in this world and who was the parallel Ranma who was also a Rider that they needed to meet?

Kasumi had observed a pattern with each world they had visited. In each Alternate Rider World was a Ranma who'd taken the mantle of one of the Kamen Riders. Her Ranma would then meet and befriend these alternate versions of himself and after gaining their respect and approval would gain their power, adding them to his arsenal. Of course, to gain their approval, Ranma would need to help them against a threat and...

"Kasumi Tendo..."

Glancing up, Kasumi gasped as she saw that it was Narutaki. The dimension hopping man had his stoic stare planted on the girl.

"Why do you continue to place yourself in harm's way?" he asked, staring at her. "Just being near the Destroyer of Worlds is an invitation to disaster for you and your loved ones."

"Ranma may be many things," Kasumi frowned. "But he is not the kind of person who would destroy worlds like you describe. I think I know him much better than you do."

"You know, you do not know," the man replied. "You have no idea the amount of evil he represents."

"Ranma? Evil?" Kasumi huffed. "The only thing evil about him is his how he likes to brag when he wins a fight. How are you sure that you have the right Ranma? I have seen many of them since starting our adventure together."

"He is Decade, that is proof enough for me," Narutaki replied. Sighing, he turned around. "Continue to journey with Decade if you feel you must, but if you care about the innocent lives at risk you will end him while his back is turned."

Kasumi frowned deeper, a most unnerving sight for those who knew her, as she watched Narutaki vanish into one of his silver veils, no doubt taking him to a place where he could plot against Ranma once again.

"I do not like that man," the eldest Tendo daughter huffed to herself.

* * *

**Feudal Era**

"Ugh..." Ranma groaned audibly, feeling the world come back to him. His chest and head hurt from the last hit he had been dealt. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was looking up at a wooden roof and felt solid wood underneath. His first thought was that he was inside somebody's hut, a familiar sensation for him since he had been living on the road most of his life.

'_Hope Pop hasn't tried to steal from the owners yet,_' he thought groggily to himself.

"So, you're awake," said a wizened voice. Ranma looked to see where it came from and saw an old lady with an eye-patch as she sat down next to Ranma.

"Looks like it," he replied.

"Now, would you mind explaining who you are and why you look like Ranki?" she asked.

"Who's Ranki?" he questioned, confused. "As for who I am, the name's Ranma Saotome."

"That's funny," said someone as he entered the hut, "Because I'm Ranma Saotome." He ammended, "Or at least I was."

Ranma looked over to the door of the hut, the sunlight sparking through hurting his eyes. Adjusting for the light, he saw that the person who had entered the small hut was indeed Ranma Saotome, a carbon copy of the one who was lying in the bed. He was wearing Chinese clothes like Ranma did, but they looked a little more worn, as if he had been spending a lot of time on the road. There was slight difference between the pair since the Ranma who was standing up had a slight tan from being in the sun a lot and perhaps a bit more athletic in frame than Ranma from staying on the move rather than living in the same spot over the course of a year.

"You aren't Ranma Saotome?" Ranma blinked.

"Like I said, I used to be," the second Ranma answered as he took a seat on the hardwood floor. "Nowadays I call myself Ranki."

"Oh," Ranma grunted, sitting up. "Okay."

"Now answer a question of mine," Ranki frowned. "Just why is it you show up looking just like me and with my old name?"

"It's a long and complicated story," the dimensional traveler answered. Ranki snorted as he crossed his arms.

"My whole life has been long and complicated. Try me."

Ranma rolled his eyes, "Okay, but if you want anyone else to come in and hear this then bring them. I don't want to have to tell this story more than once in a world."

Ranki nodded and got up before sticking his head out of the small hut and shouting out to somebody. Ranki came back in, but he wasn't alone. Following him were a small group of people including a schoolgirl, a monk, a girl in a yukata, a small cat-like thing, A guy in a set of red clothes with silver hair, and a really small kid that looked like he was part fox. A lot of them continued to keep their eyes on Ranma, especially the guy in red as they began to take seats near the fire pit in the room.

"Start talking," Ranki ordered.

"Not sure how long since it started," began Ranma. "It's hard to tell when you're traveling like I am. First, tell me if you believe in alternate worlds..."

And so Ranma explained his adventures and the reason in which he was travelling in the first place. He explained them the supposed fusing of the Rider Worlds, the other Kamen Riders, the various threats, as well as why he had come to Ranki's world which went on to explain how he had ended up in the village.

"And so I ended up here, fought some demons, and then beat up dog boy over there," finished Ranma.

"You didn't beat me!" Inuyasha (whom Ranki introduced with the others) barked.

"Smacking you into the distance with the Dogga Hammer sort of means you lost now don't it?" Ranma shot back, defending his victories out of sheer habit.

"Regardless of the fight," Miroku spoke up. "You claim to have arrived to deal with a threat that we and Ranki would otherwise be incapable of dealing with on our own."

"Seems like how it goes," Ranma shrugged. "Each world I've been to the Riders were being stacked up against threats that were way too big or specifically made to fight them. Could they have done it without me? Maybe, but I like to think that it was because of me that they managed to get out of that mess in the end."

"Then what kind of threat are we going to be dealing with?" asked Sango. "Just how are we going to deal with it on top of hunting Naraku and looking for the jewel shards?"

"Who and what?" Ranma blinked.

"Naraku, a scumbag demon who's trying to collect all of the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama so he can taint the whole thing with malice and corruption," Ranki frowned. "Although what he plans to do with it afterwards we don't know save for asking for a wish that can only mean death and doom."

"Hold on," Ranma sighed, scratching his temple. "You're going to have to explain this to me from the beginning."

It soon became Ranki's turn to make an explanation. He explained that they were in the Feudal Era of Japan, which for some reason was connected to Kagome's home through the Bone Eater's Well which Ranma vividly remembered the old man shoving him down into when he and Kasumi arrived at the shrine.

Ranki continued stating that fifty years ago, there was a jewel called the Shikon-no-Tama which had the ability to grant wishes, but also empower demons and humans with wicked hearts with immense power. It was held in the village and protected by a powerful priestess named Kikyo. One day, Inuyasha came to try and steal the jewel so he could become a full demon, but Kikyo foiled his attempt. Rather than kill him though, she let him be. Inuyasha and Kikyo continued to interact until they fell in love and decided that if Inuyasha wished to become a human with the jewel then it would vanish from being used for a pure wish and she would be free from her burden and be allowed to marry him. On the day they were going to execute their plan though, something strange happened. Kikyo supposedly betrayed Inuyasha and attempted to kill him and so he went to steal the jewel when a wounded Kikyo shot him with an arrow that pinned him to a tree in the village, incidentally the one which grew on the Higurashi Family's property as its sacred tree. Kikyo died from her wounds and wished that the Shikon-no-Tama be bruned along with her body so that none may have it.

Kagome explained that on her fifteenth birthday, got pulled down the well by a centipede demon into the Feudal Era. Her uncanny resemblance to the deceased Kikyo, whom died fifty years due to her wounds made many of the villagers believe that she was Kikyo reborn. The Centipede demon returned, and in the chaos Kagome discovered not only Inuyasha but released him. The centipede demon attacked Kagome and cut her side where the Shikon-no-Tama flew out from her wound. Inuyasha attempted to take it after he killed the centipede demon, but he was cursed with a set of beads which Kagome could use to subjugate him. So the two became partners in protecting the jewel, up until the point when Kagome shot a crow demon that swallowed the jewel and ended up shattering the thing and spreading the shards all over the country.

In their hunts for the Shikon jewel shards, they met Shippo the fox child who had been trying to collect shards so to become powerful enough to beat a pair of demons known as The Thunder Brothers. Since the Brothers had jewel shards of their own, Kagome and Inuyasha had to fight and kill them to take the shards back, earning Shippo's gratitude and friendship along with his company.

Miroku added his two cents by telling of how he met the group in his own hunt for jewel shards to lure in the demon Naraku. Fifty years ago, a demon named Naraku fought against Miroku's grandfather and punctured a hole through his hand and sutras, forming what is known as a Kazaana, a black hole. It was a curse which would go through through his children and would eventually swallow them like it did himself, his son, would eventually do the same to Miroku should the demon not be killed.

Sango then told her part where her clan of demon hunters were called to exterminate a demon plaguing a local lord which ended up killing most of them while her village was destroyed by Naraku so he could collect the shards they had found during their hunting expeditions. Naraku was in truth the lord of that castle pretending to be a human and had sent Sango out to kill Inuyasha after being fed the lie that he had been the one that was responsible or the deaths of her friends and family.

Naraku himself as they came to discover was in truth a half-demon or hanyou like Inuyasha. He used to be a human thief named Onigumo who was mortally wounded and fell into Kikyo's care. He fell in love with her and grew bitterly jealous of Inuyasha when he heard of how Kikyo had fallen in love with him. His dark soul drew in several demons and he made a pact with them to feed them his burnt and useless flesh and they would grant him a new body in return. All of the demons fused together while eating the thief and formed Naraku. Among his abilities was shape-shifting which he used to mae Inuyasha believe Kikyo attempted to kill him and pretended to be Inuyasha to mortally wound Kikyo. His intent was to make Kikyo wish on the jewel to heal herself and taint it with malice, but she allowed herself to die and ruined all of his plans for fifty years until Kagome returned and shattered the jewel. It became a race with the demon to collect the shards and stop him. So far, they only had a few shards while Naraku almost had the whole thing.

"Wow," Ranma blinked as the tale finished. That was when he noticed that one detail was left out. Turning to his doppelganger, he spoke, "Wait, just how do you fit into this then? And if Kagome and Inuyasha are the only ones who can go through the well how did we get through?"

"You, we can't be sure," Ranki shrugged. "As for me, well it may have something to do with how I met the Higurashis and got my Ongekkibou Rekka."

"Oh yeah!" Kagome gasped. "Grandpa was chanting all day around the sacred tree, worrying about how it might be dying after you came by!"

* * *

_(FLASHBACK)_

_**Modern Day**_

_Ranki was travelling through the streets of Tokyo, pondering his latest test as part of his apprenticeship into the Takeshi Orginization. He had earned his Oni name and the right to go solo as far as the organization was concerned. Before his teacher would feel confident that he was ready to work on his own, Ranki had to create his own weapon and present its worth to be finally passed as a full fledged Oni._

_Ranki specialized in the drum just like his teacher, so he would have to create his own weapon called the Ongekkibou Rekka. The instruments were basic in themselves, made from ancient tree wood with Oni Crystal on top, conduits for the Pure Sound which the Oni used in their weapons and attacks against the various demons they had to fight, specializing against the demon species Makamou._

_Naturally his teacher offered him a number of places he could travel to in search for the right kind of wood, but that was all of the help he could offer. Ranki of course considered his teacher's words quite seriously, but he wasn't sure which space to pick. He knew his weapons had to be made, but he wanted to pick a weapon which had some extra kick and give him an advantage against any Makamou he would come across._

_To that end, Ranki wanted to pick a tree which had more than just being ancient on its side but something special to it. _

_Where he could find one though he didn't know. So he was wandering about to try and get some ideas._

_Walking through the streets, he tried to consider his options. As he walked though, he moved through the shade of a large hill which had plenty off green on it. He could even see a tree poking out from above. Out of sheer whim, Ranki decided to see what the tree might be like and see if he managed to luck out and find something interesting._

_Walking around the hill, he spotted a set of stairs which led up to a torii gate which obviously indicated a temple. Climbing the stairs, he came out on top to see the humble temple which held a main prayer area, a small well house to the side, a nice house at the back and finally a large and obviously ancient tree in the centre which was cared for and considered sacred by the practitioners._

_Now knowing he may be onto something after all, Ranki approached the tree to see if he could really discern anything about it. On closer inspection, he did take notice that there was a patch of bark growing on a thickness than the rest, as if something had been covering it for a couple of years. There was also the feeling that he got when he stood close enough to the tree, like he was standing in front of something special._

"_I think I'm onto something," he spoke softly._

"_Can I help you young man?" asked a new voice suddenly._

_Ranki blinked and turned to see a short old man dressed in traditional clothes, looking at him warily. Ranki recognized the look. The mothers of teenage daughters in some of the small villagers he and his sensei would train at would give him those looks. Obviously the guy had a granddaughter his age and was on the lookout for boys who wanted to get fresh with her._

_It was a constant in his life._

"_Uh...yeah," the pigtailed young man nodded, bringing himself out of his introspection. "Does this tree have and kind of special history?"_

"_Our Sacred Tree?" the old man frowned, likely still wary of the teenager, but seemingly more than happy to tell stories about his temple's history. "Indeed, it does have a history. This tree has been around for at least 500 years, if not longer. Centuries ago a very powerful priestes known as Kikyo had used this very tree to seal away the terrible demon Inuyasha."_

"_Did she?" asked Ranki, now growing excited. A sacred tree which was over 500 years old? It was beginning to sound perfect for his Ongekkibou Rekka! _

"_Indeed," the old man nodded. "Since that event, this tree has been flooded with her holy power and has been treated as a sacred site ever since. It's been in my family for generations and I hope to pass it down to my grandchildren."_

"_Something to be proud of," Ranki nodded. "It looks like you and your practitioners take good care of this tree. Do you groom it, clip off dead branches and all that?"_

"_Of course we do," the old man nodded, quirking an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"_

"_Well," Ranki began, scratching the base of his ponytail. "This is going to be a odd request..."_

"_I have heard many odd things before young man," the priest replied. "Just come out and say it. I'll decide if its reasonable or not."_

"_Well...okay then," Ranki shrugged. "I'm trying to make a set of special sacred instruments for my...hometown's festivals. I've got a taiko drum, but I need the drumsticks. I was kind of hoping that if you had a big enough branch clipping from this tree I'd be able to make them from it."_

_The priest quirked his eyebrow a second time, a silly thing since his brow was already quirked,"Hmmmm. That is an odd request. Still, as willing as I am since it seems like a worthy cause we simply do not have any pieces of wood that would be that big. The only one that was we used for our sacred fires long ago." _

"_Nuts," Ranki sighed. That sucked. He found the perfect tree to use, one that was ancient and had holy properties but he couldn't use any piece of it. Sure his Pop would have simply hacked off a limb and be done with it but Ranki tried to hold himself to a higher standard than Genma. It was the way of Takeshi after all._

"_Okay," Ranki sighed. "I just had to ask. Thanks for your ti-"_

_KRACK!_

_Ranki and the priest looked up where the sound and come from only for their eyes to bulge when they spotted a sizable tree branch falling down towards them. Both of them let out yelps of fright, although the old man's sounded much more high pitched before they leaped to the sides to avoid being struck. The tree limb smashed to the ground, kicking up dust from the impact._

"_Aaaaahhh!" the priest cried out, tears splashing from his eyes in a wonderful rendition of Soun Tendo's crying habits. "The Sacred Tree! A limb fell off The Sacred Tree!" He began running towards the house at a speed which really one didn't see in old people unless they were like the Old Ghoul or the Old Perv. "Souta! Get the incense! Get the sutras! Get the rosaries! We have to save The Sacred Tree!"_

_Ranki watched the old guy run before he looked down at the tree branch. It was a decent size and would certainly have enough to make his Ongekkibou Rekka with some wood to spare in case of emergencies. Sacred wood helped make some very strong sacred fire after all._

_Looking up at the tree itself, Ranki grinned, "Thanks!"_

_Ranki had learnt from his mentor that trees possessed spirits and this one in this place was no different. It could sense something special in Ranki and had given him one of its branches in order for him to fulfil his task._

_In thanks, he'd make the best damn Ongekkibou Rekka he could._

(END FLASHBACK)

* * *

"My working theory is that the tree is what powers the Bone Eater's Well," Ranki explained. "Since Kagome's holy power is connected to it in the present, and Inuyasha is connected to it in the past its what creates the tunnel in time with the Shikon-no-Tama jumpstarting the process. Since I have my weapons made from the limb of the tree, it allows me to pass through as well."

"With the tree's permission of course," Kagome reminded him.

"Right, right."

"Okay," Ranma nodded. He was really no expert in magic, which it seemed his counterpart had gotten an education in, but it still seemed to make sense anyway. The tree connected the past and the present via the well through the bond Inuyasha and Kagome had with the Shikon jewel.

"So how did you get mixed up in all this then?" he asked. "I mean, if you're some kind of demon hunter in the present how'd you start looking for jewel shards in the past?"

"A demonic artefact was active in the middle of Tokyo and he got involved," Kagome supplied.

"Almost made me deaf in the process," Inuyasha grumped.

"I said I was sorry," Ranki grumbled. "It went like this..."

* * *

(FLASHBACK)

_From one of Ranki's contacts in Takeshi, he'd heard about some Makamou activity in the city. Makamou rarely ventured into populated areas unless there was something important they were looking for. _

_The supposed Makamou's activity was hard to miss. A man reported to the authorities that he was being attacked by a gang of hoodlums when a woman who looked like she was hit by a car, covered in blood but with a noh mask-like face with scars on it stumbled onto them. The gang wasn't sure what to make of her at first, but then her neck suddenly extended and she managed to bite off the heads of the gang members one by one. The man fled for his life and called for the police. They didn't believe him, but they did check the scene only to find shredded clothes and and pools of blood._

_Takeshi immediately went onto the case just to be sure it wasn't a Makamou on the prowl. They thought the seemingly perfect face as well was the extanding neck were big clues. They at first thought that it was a Douji or a Hime collecting food for a newborn Makamou to feed before it could move on to solid food. After checking several books worth of research and cross referencing further similar cases that showed up, they thought they finally had the answer._

_The Flesh-Eating Noh Mask._

_It was a cursed artifact that had supposedly been sealed and eventually lost over the years. Takeshi had been trying to find it and thought one of their antique dealers had finally gotten a lead on it before the current crisis started. The item had a dark and gruesome history which all but ensured exorcists and demon hunters were going to get involved._

_The mask had been carved from a Bodhi Tree, a tree sacred to Buddhist faith. Yet somehow, people suspected that the tree had been cursed by a demon or something had gone wrong in the process of creating the mask since the first person who wore the mask in preparation for an important play suddenly became possessed and went on an indulgence spree which personified gluttony. Even more horrifying, the person wearing the mask seemed to simply rot away at a rapid pace until the body couldn't function anymore. The mask then leaped from the corpse and latched onto someone else, making that person attack the others around it, killing them and fusing their bodies with the one already possessed to create a disgusting blob made out of human flesh with a tangle of limbs and a gallery of faces lining its surface._

_A passing through monk saw the catastrophe and managed to seal the mask, turning the bodies it collected into mush while placing the mask in a box which was lined with sacred seals. The artisan who created the mask took responsibility for his horrible creation and kept it sealed and supposedly passed it down to his descendants to make sure that it remained sealed forever since any attempts to destroy it seemed to only bring misfortune to those who tried. It vanished a long time ago, but considering the recent events it had obviously gone active again._

_Ranki was patrolling the city, trying to determine if there were any clues as to where the mask and whatever poor corpse it was possessing had gone. As with any Oni, he had his Akanetaka flying around looking for clues and reporting back to him from where they were assigned. So far, he hadn't found anything._

"_Just where can a shambling blob made out of corpses hide?" Ranki muttered, gritting his teeth. This was his first solo assignment and he was so far finding nothing!_

_As soon as he said that, one of his Akanetaka had swooped down in front of him. Catching the Disc Animal on his hand, he smiled, knowing that he finally had a lead. The Disc Animal changed back to its CD-like disk form and Ranki put the disk onto his tuning fork before folding down the forks and spinning the disk to listen to the message it had recorded._

"_So, that's where you're hiding," Ranki realized. As a trained martial artist, he could jump high and using roof-hopping he managed to get to the spot easily._

_The spot as it turned out was a construction site which was rather silent at first, not indicating that a flesh-eating mask was wandering about on a body constructed from human corpses. Still, the Akanetaka were rarely wrong when they reported the site, he looked around before he heard the noise of building materials crashing around on the higher floors._

_Frowning, Ranki began leaping up floor by floor through the holes in the floors, effectively making his own path up to the source of the noise. Coming up to the floor below, he dashed up the last set of stairs before coming out on top. _

_Immediately he spotted his target. It was a gross combination of several bodies which was impossible to tell where one ended and another began. Faces, torsos, hair, arms, and legs were sticking out at every angle like a demented jigsaw puzzle which couldn't be taken apart. at the front was the one head which was wearing the Flesh-Eating Noh Mask, which looked as pristine as it did when it was carved with strange scars on is surface. A truly disgusting sight._

_The blob of flesh was crawling along the floor, using its limbs to move its fat mass along, stalking towards a girl in her pajamas who looked like she was effectively pinned and more than a little bit afraid._

_Ranki was moving in the flash. Dashing across the distance towards the two, he leaped into the air before coming back down with a double kick into the centre of the fleshy mass, "Hiyah!" His feet struck bone, allowing the force of the attack to send the Noh Mask and its host(s) flying across the half-finished floor._

"_Huh?" the girl gasped as Ranki landed on his feet, glaring darkly at the mass of tissue and blood._

"_Run!" he shouted to the confused girl. Ahead of him, the blubbery pile of flesh managed to right itself with the mask staring at him with almost a leer._

"_**Ooooooh!**" a wet and gurgling voice echoed from the mask. "**Your body is strong. Much stronger than any I have seen. Your flesh will be especially welcome as part of me. It will make me strong!**"_

"_You've had enough if you ask me," Ranki frowned, reaching into his pocket. "It's time for your story to end Flesh-Eating Noh Mask!" Ranking produced his Onkaku, the Henshin Onsa (tuning fork). Pressing a button, the horns of the golden demon face unfolded to form a tuning fork. The Noh Mask seemed to stiffen at the sight of it._

"_**That device...!**" the Noh Mask gasped._

"_Henshin," Ranki whispered, tapping the fork against his fingers, making a pleasant ringing noise as far as he and the girl were concerned._

_To the Noh Mask..._

"_**GYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!**" the Noh Mask screeched, it's blubbery mass thrashing as its 'head' whipped back and forth in agony. "**THE NOISE! THE NOISE! MAKE IT STOP! IT HURTS! MAKE IT STOOOOOOP!**"_

_The girl was stunned at seeing how such a small noise was causing such agony to the Noh Mask. Ranki merely raised the Onkaku to his forehead, allowing the sound waves to form what looked like a gold oni face on his forehead. Lowering the tuning fork, Ranki stood as a red aura overtook him, covering his features from sight. The girl then gasped when Ranki's entire body was suddenly engulfed in blue fire, a sound like a rising voice echoing from the centre of the inferno._

"_**HYAH!**" Ranki bellowed, swiping his arm and extinguishing the flames to reveal himself as a new man._

_From head to toe he was donned in a deep blue suit which could be mistaken as flesh, or perhaps it could be mistaken as armor. Around his waist was a silver belt which had a round buckle decorated with three tomoe. He wore gauntlets which were a crimson red which was only matched by his crimson boots with both decorated by silver accents on the wrists and ankles. His torso had a silver harness around it which look almost like primitive armour. Strapped to the back of the belt were a pair of red drumsticks which were bright red with red crystal tips carved into the shape of oni faces, one smiling and one frowning. Finally, Ranki's face was encased in a blue mask, but it held not true facial features. Instead, red markings famed his face like a kabuki player with a pair of horns sprouting up from his head with the demon face in the centre._

_He was now Kamen Rider Ranki_

* * *

_野生鬼_

* * *

_**Play Kamen Rider Hibiki Opening**_

"_**Oni...**" the demon masked hissed. "**ONI!**"_

_Ranki reached behind his belt and grabbed the drumsticks, twirling them around in his grip as he got into a battle stance. "Come on! Let's do this!"_

_The Flesh-Eating Noh Mask accepted the challenge, lunging towards Ranki with all the intention to kill him. Backing away from the demon mask, Ranki jumped and launched himself into the air and slammed his foot against the demon's face, knocking it back. With his drumsticks, he bashed them into the face and knocked it to the ground._

_From his training, he'd learnt to weaken demons before finishing them off for good. Long ago, he would've been appalled by the thought of taking a life, but his training under his sensei taught him that if demons did not respect human life then they had no reason to live._

_Taking a deep breath, with his eyes set on the demon, he unleashed a blast of flames from his mouth which hit it, causing it to shriek in agony. Rushing forward towards the burning demon, Ranki bashed it across the face repeatedly with the drumsticks before kneeing it in the face to send it staggering backwards._

"_**I will devour your flesh!**" the Noh Mask bellowed, lunging towards Ranki once again. Ranki inhaled and prepared to unleash another gout of flame at his enemy to drive it off..._

"_Sankon Tesso!"_

_A blur of red dove into the area, unleashing a slash of light which cut off a large chunk of the blob of flesh, revealing the brown and mushy insides with only bones helping support the structure. Ranki blinked and turned to see that the one who had interrupted thee fight was what appeared to be a teenager around his age with long silver hair, red clothes, a sword, and dog ears on top of his head. Strangely, there was a small boy clutching onto his back._

"_Kagome!" the boy cried, leaping off the teen's back and running to the girl. "You're okay!"_

"_Feh," the teen snorted. "Well, at least you haven't gotten eaten yet," He then looked at Ranki. "And just who the hell are you?"_

_Ranki would have answered, if only to launch a smart alek remark, but the mass of flesh still attached to the Noh Mask shuddered before the neck extended towards the group, the mask actually splitting in half to reveal sharp wooden teeth, snarling at the group._

"_MOVE!" Ranki bared, pushing the boy in red to the side as the mass of flesh and the mask approached. The Oni charged at the raging pile and grabbed the buckle of his belt, detaching it with a snap. The Noh Mask hissed and lunged, but Ranki was just as quick, planting the buckle onto the cursed item's face, freezing it in place. The buckle then began to spin before slight burst of flame was let out and the buckle grew into the size of a taiko drum with the tomoe markings on it._

_The cut up pile of flesh was quivering, struggling to move but it otherwise wasn't moving at all. Ranki stepped up to the giant drum and raised his Ongekkibou Rekka, the crystals almost shining as the sun began to rise._

"_Hey, what are you do-!" the silver-haired teen growled standing up. He looked like he was about to charge Ranki for the perceived insult of shoving him aside when the Oni continued his assault._

"_Ongekki Da," he announced "Kaen Renda no Kata!"_

_Ranki began to perform a rapid drum solo, beating the taiko drum that he'd formed on the Noh Mask rapidly as pulses of sound seemed to vibrate in the air. There was a rhythm in his beat that could not be ignored and it would appear that each strike was causing harm to the demon._

_It was not the only one being affected by the assault, however.._

_The teenager with the silver hair suddenly screamed as he covered his ears. The noise of the drumbeats were actually hurting him._

"_Inuyasha!" the girl cried, running to his side with the small boy._

_Ranki, however, could not stop his assault until the very end. However, the beating would soon end. He raised both his drumsticks, tapped them together, and smashed them onto the taiko drum with all his might._

_The Noh Mash's composite body expanded and blew up like a balloon before it exploded as the mask itself shattered to pieces. As the pieces fell to the ground, Ranki noticed something glittering among the pieces of wood and rotting flesh. Placing his weapons back on his belt, he got to one knee and scooped up the glowing object. From what he could see it looked like a piece of crystal._

"_Now...what do we have here...?" he asked himself. He noted the others who were present and saw how the silver-haired teen was glaring at him._

"_Hand over the jewel shard, you Oni," teen in red snarled. It would have been a tad more intimidating if he wasn't clenching his ear with one hand with the girl fretting at his side._

"_Oni?" the girl questioned._

_Ranki gripped the small shard of crystal in his hand before he stood up and addressed the group, "Okay, so can anyone explain to me just who our friend in red is and how the Flesh-Eating Noh Mask revived? I'm going to have to make a report of this you know."_

* * *

(END FLASHBACK)

"It was really surprising to learn that there was a nationwide organization of Oni out there protecting people from modern day demons and stuff," Kagome explained. "If Grandpa knew he'd go on a rampage with sealing sutras though."

"Seems the type," Ranma shrugged before looking to his counterpart. "So Takeshi assigned you to help them?"

"Well, we first had to get the story out of Kagome and Inuyasha," Ranki explained. "My superiors were pretty shocked to hear that the Shikon-no-Tama had returned. All of the myths and legends we have on it said that Priestess Kikyo had it cremated with her. It also...wasn't too flattering in regards to Inuyasha Who Seeks The Shikon-no-Tama."

"They can all bite me! It wasn't my fault!" the irate hanyou snapped angrily.

"What he said," Ranki shrugged. "Since the Jewel returned and apparently was broken into pieces, Takeshi assigned me to help collect them before Naraku does. The Noh Mask proved that all it takes is one shard to begin flirting with disaster."

"And Ranki's been nothing but a huge help since he joined us," added Kagome.

"Ranki," Ranma muttered. "Why is it that you call yourself that? Weren't you born Ranma Saotome like me?"

"I was, but things change," said Ranki. "After I officially became a full-fledged Oni I took on a new name and abandoned my old name. Essentially, Ranma Saotome died and Ranki was born. Ranki means 'Wild Demon' you know."

"How did that happen?" Ranma asked.

Ranki sighed, "Nerima."

Ranma groaned, "Lemme guess. Things were getting out of control after the failed wedding, right?" It seemed the other Ranmas had also become Riders at some point after the wedding disaster. It seemed to be a common turning point in their lives.

"Yeah," Ranki nodded. "I tell you it was real bad. Pop and Mr. Tendo were harping on me everyday about either making Akane mad or not spending enough time with her even though she had made it pretty clear what she thought about me."

"Pervert. Jerk. Creep. Lecher?" asked Ranma.

"Bingo," Ranki nodded. "Didn't help that the Fiancee Brigade were determined to drag me down the isle kicking and screaming or drugged up so high I couldn't tell up from down so long as a minister said we were married and a ring to prove it."

"I've had days like that," Miroku nodded sagely, earning a sharp glare from Sango which made the monk sweatdrop and chuckle weakly.

"And wherever those girls wet, the rivals followed with nothing but utter desperation and rage to fight with instead of actual skill," Ranma guessed. "Ryoga blaming me for all his problems and Akane's, Kuno demanding my death for trying to keep Akane and the pigtailed girl under my dark magical thrall, and Mousse still believing that I was the sole reason that Shampoo wouldn't marry him."

"Oh yeah," Ranki grumbled. "Mom was no help either since she figured I should just take them all as mistresses and seemed to be getting itchy with that sword of hers whenever she saw me not trying to seduce the girls around me and get them pregnant with my bastard children."

"I still say there's something wrong with that lady," Shippo muttered. "I mean, Miroku tries to sire kids all the time and stuff that Ranki's mom thinks is great and no girls seem to like him once they get to know him."

"I guess I'm not one for long term relationships," the monk shrugged.

"You mean longer than a half hour or so?" teased Ranki.

"So, how did you become an Oni?" Ranma asked.

"I met the man who became both my mentor and father figure," said Ranki.

* * *

(FLASHBACK)

_Ranma was sitting under the bridge he would use as his secret hiding place. It was his private spot where he would think. It was a good thing he had found it before it started raining so he was still dry and male._

_The reason he was hiding...er...resting, underneath the bridge was because of another spat he had with Akane which resulted in the usual harping he got from the parents for making Akane mad and how unmanly it was. Knowing that the tension wasn't going to leave the house for a while, he decided to go take a walk. Of course, Akane's fierce glare while he left told him that he was going to receive a harsh interrogation when he got back about where he went. _

"_I don't get it. She keeps saying she doesn't want to be with me and avoids me half the time but the rest off the time she just won't leave me alone and gets mad when I'm not in eyeshot," he grumbled. "Then the parents get mad at me and seem to think it's always my fault. Oh no, it's never Princess Akane's fault. She's perfect in every way, she can't do anything wrong except cook, sew, clean, fight, keep her temper, swim, or really anything even remotely connected to something girls do."_

_Needless to say, he was dealing with a little bit of tension. Thankfully none of the Fiancee Brigade managed to find him or else things were just going to go downhill further than they already had._

_Ranma closed his eyes, wanting to escape reality and go into a peaceful daydream..._

_...when he heard someone humming..._

_Ranma blinked and looked out from under the bridge to see what it was. Walking down the street was a man who wore a simple black jacket with jeans and black shoes. He was holding up an umbrella. He had normal black hair and to be honest looked rather unremarkable, but he seemed to have this aura of vitality around him like nothing seemed to bother him. The image was further enhance when he turned from humming into outright singing._

"_Walking in the rain, coming from the market, have a trusty umbrella, a friend to keep me dry," he sang. It was a made up song inspired by what was going on around the man, but it seemed to reflect his attitude._

_As if the man could tell he was being looked at, his eyes looked to the bridge to see Ranma underneath it. The man didn't stop singing from the sight and instead finished his song, "And I find a boy under the bridge."_

_The man stepped off the sidewalk and onto the wet grass where he made his way to the bridge where Ranma was currently residing. Bending his knees, he was crouched to see eye to eye with Ranma. The man smiled and gave a small salute to the martial artist, "Yo. Did you get caught out in the rain?"_

"_Something like that," Ranma shrugged. "Kind of needed to clear my head and decided to go for a walk when this started."_

"_Hm," the man nodded. "I know a good place for clearing one's head if you're interested. It's a bit of a walk though."_

"_Will I have to get wet?" asked Ranma. "I have a...thing, about getting wet."_

"_You're in luck then," the man smiled. Reaching into his jacket, he produced a second umbrella. "I always carry a spare in case I meet a friend."_

_Ranma couldn't help but smile weakly._

_The man guided Ranma to a local shrine which obviously the Wrecking Crew had never been to before since there was absolutely nothing weird or out of the ordinary about it. The old man who ran it seemed to be a good friend of Ranma's new acquaintance, calling him Hibiki. The name made Ranma tense slightly considering it was Ryoga's last name, making him fear for a second that the two may be related. He quickly dismissed that thought after seeing how calm and in control Hibiki was, especially after it was quite clear that he had a strong sense of direction._

_Hibiki seemed to accept calling Ranma 'Boy' even though they now knew each other's name. Unlike Genam who used it as a gruff form of referring to his son out of some kind of manly 'tough love' approach, Hibiki just seemed to consider it a nickname for a new acquaintance._

"_So, Boy," Hibiki spoke as the pair enjoyed some hot tea while looking over the shrine property. "You look like you have the world on your shoulders."_

"_Feels like it," Ranma sighed. "But it doesn't help that everyone seems to think that I'm the cause and solution to all of their problems."_

"_Oh?" Hibiki raised an eyebrow. "Care to talk about it?"_

_Ranma wasn't usually one to talk about things that bugged him, part of the supposed 'man amongst men' ideas that Genma had beat into him. Still, something about Hibiki made Ranma feel like he could trust the man to listen and not judge at least until all of the facts were in.._

"_If you don't mind hearing a story of the bizarre, tragedy, and stupidity," Ranma sighed._

_And so Ranma explained his life, starting with the ten year training trip which seemed to kick start everything else in his life. He explained some of the incidents which occurred during that trip including the Dragon Whisker, Neko-Ken, and Jusenkyo even going so far as to show off his curse. Hibiki didn't even blink at the change, merely gesturing for Ranma to continue. Ranma then explained his life in Nerima since the Journey came to an end. He explained he and Akane dancing around each other with Ranma once willing to admit he loved her but Akane seemed determined not to trust him but at the same time keep him away from any other girl who so much as looked at him funny. He explained Ukyo and the deal his father made with hers, as well as her father deciding the whole mess was her responsibility to clean up despite him being the one who helped make it. He further explained the girl's willingness to use their past friendship as a tool to try and force Ranma to pay attention to her. He talked about Shampoo and her blantant use of any means necessary to make him marry her, treating him more like a prize stud to be claimed rather than a husband to love and care for. He talked about how Kodachi stalked his male side and held a vendetta for his female side, not once believing they were one and the same despite seeing the change herself. He talked about Kuno and his obsessive quest for both Akane and his girl side living in his own delusional world where he was undefeated and Kami's gift to women. He mentioned Ryoga and his infatuation with Akane and his constant using of a personal weakness to gain sympathy from her even though he had Akari who was willing to do anything for him. He also mentioned Mousse and his delusions of Shampoo loving him and Ranma being responsible for their not being together. He even mentioned the parents and their constant harping about honour and manliness even though they were hypocrites on the issue, using it to make Ranma do what they wanted and ignoring it when it was turned against them. He even mentioned all of the weird things that seemed to be the norm out in Nerima which everyone seemed to simply ignore or spare a passing glance._

"_Hm. You've lived a pretty interesting life," Hibiki commented. Smiling, he commented. "Most kids your age are out looking for adventure but here you are unable to get away from it."_

"_I don't mind the chaos when I have to fight someone to do the right thing, but most fights these days are those losers who blame me for why the girls they're after don't like them or the Fiancee Brigade getting into another catfight over me," Ranma sighed._

"_Seems to me you need more training then," Hibiki commented, taking a sip._

"_Training?" Ranma blinked. "You mean like martial arts? Beating up the rivals only puts them down for a while and then they get up and it starts all over again."_

"_Not training in martial arts," Hibiki shook his head. "Although you certainly aren't lacking in that area. No, what I mean is training in life. You're overspecialized in fighting that you've missed experience on other things in life. Surely you've noticed in some of your situations that you've ended up out of your depth when it came to things outside of fighting?"_

"_No kidding," Ranma sighed, willing to admit that when it came to certain things, like dealing with Nabiki, that he had no idea what to do. It was a fact the fiancees like to use when they put on their crocodile tears to make him pay attention. "So what do I do then?"_

"_Well, when one needs training they find a teacher who can train them," Hibiki shrugged, acting like it was an obvious answer. "I know some people who might be able to help. My friend and his daughters will be more than happy to give a few tips."_

"_Uh...daughters?" Ranma asked, tensing._

"_Relax, they're in their twenties. Much too old to consider you as a boyfriend," Hibiki chuckled. "They may start treating you as a little brother before they're through with you though." _

_END FLASHBACK_

* * *

"And that's how I met Hibiki-sensei and started training under him. Mind you, he was a much better teacher than Genma ever was," said Ranki. Hibiki had also been more of a father than Genma and never treated Ranki as a tool for personal gain. Whatever Hibiki had taught Ranki was to help the boy and not himself.

"Hibiki-sensei was the one who introduced me to Ongeki-do," Ranki added.

"So, you spent a lot of time with that guy," noted Ranma.

"I was introduced to the rest of his friends as well," Ranki nodded. "Of course things in Nerima didn't get any better but I found a place that accepted me. However..."

"_They_ found you."

Ranki nodded.

* * *

FLASHBACK.

_Ranma, or rather Ranki as he had taken to calling himself since he learned the secrets of the Oni and became Hibiki's apprentice, stumbled down the street. He was in rough shape with a black eye, swollen lip, scrapes and cuts all over, a limp in his right legs, and favouring his right side which he was clutching tightly like an internal injury had taken place. He had just escaped from Nerima since the Fiancee Brigade and the Rivals had finally had enough of his absence from their lives and demanded to know where he was going all the time. The fiancees had worked themselves up into jealous fits thinking he was seeing some girl behind their backs while the rivals figured he was running away from them like a dishonorable coward. They all demanded to know where he went and when he refused to say, stating he had a right to his own privacy, things degraded into a fight with the rivals wanting to kill him and the fiancees wanting to punish him for 'cheating' on them. How the girls came to that leap of logic he didn't know, but he wasn't about to let himself get beaten up for something he didn't do. Hibiki-sensei had managed to work that habit out of him concerning taking abuse from the women in his life._

_The battle had been epic and he was pretty sure they had destroyed a street along with at least one of the buildings which were part of it. The rivals and fiancees certainly got their licks in with their assaults and such, but they kept getting in each others' way in wanting to be the one to claim or kill Ranki and were just as busy fighting each other as they were him. He had managed to slip away when Ryoga managed to misplace the fight and destroy a wall, sending dust in all directions. Mousse attacked Ukyo thinking she was Ranki while Shampoo got splashed by a damaged water main, turning her into her cursed form. Fortunately Ranki didn't see it. Kuno was easy enough to dodge since he had as much sensory abilities as the average person, seeing his swordsmanship as the ultimate technique despite his numerous losses._

_Knowing he couldn't go back to the dojo since it would lead to only more browbeating from the parents as to where he was going (without Akane) all the time, Ranki headed out to the one place he knew he was safe, the Tachibana Candy Shop._

_It was a nice place which did reasonable well. It was run by the Tachibana Family consisting of Ichiro Tachibana, a man who was like an older version of Hibiki and his daughters Kasumi and Hinaka. Kasumi was serene like the Kasumi Tendo he knew, but she was constantly in the thick of things by helping out the Oni with some of their hunts. The younger Hinaka was more excitable and helped out with researching Makamou. All three were who manned the Takeshi Orginization's HQ for the area._

_As Hibiki suggested when they met, Kasumi and Hinaka were more than happy to teach Ranma a thing or two considering social situations, especially ones that deal with girls. It helped him adapt to social situations a little better, at least enough to be able to tell when the Fiancees Brigade were trying to manipulate his emotions by pretending that he had hurt their feelings and threatening to cry. As predicted, Kasumi and Hinaka all but adopted him as a little brother since they felt he needed so much guidance. Ichiro didn't mind, happy to not being the only man in the house anymore._

_Kasumi, at the moment, was sweeping in front of the store when she spotted Ranki. She gasped, "Ranki-kun!" and quickly was at his side, dropping her broom to support him. "What happened to you? Quickly, come inside!"_

_Kasumi gently put him down in a chair to check his wounds. Hinaka and Ichiro were also present and Ranma groaned painfully. He told them a brief explanation of what had happened._

"_This is becoming serious," Ichiro frowned. "The police should get involved."_

"_Good luck with that," Ranki snorted. "I haven't seen the police get involved since I lived in Nerima. I think they prefer a hands off approach and let us resolve things ourselves." He hissed as Kasumi applied some iodine to his injuries._

_Ichiro frowned, "Well, it's a good thing that the police here take things seriously."_

"_I'll call Hibiki-san," said Hinaka. "You can rest here as long as you want."_

"_Arigatou, Hinaka-neesan," Ranki smiled._

"_Ah! You called me neesan! Yes!" the redhead grinned before she went to grab the phone._

_While Kasumi was treating Ranki's wounds and Hinaka was busy with the phone, the Tachibana Candy Shop became busy. Ibuki, another Oni and a rather handsome fellow with a crush on Kasumi came to call with his apprentice Akira, a moody girl who harboured some serious ill intent towards all Makamou. They immediately took notice of Ranki's condition and offered what assistance they could. After them came Zanki, a man who was one of the most experienced next to Hibiki but had to retire due to a wound he received to his leg in a hunt, and Todoroki, the greenest Oni in Takeshi at the moment were reporting in from a hunt and likewise noticed what happened and began lending what support they could. It was a mindset that everyone in Takeshi held themselves too, they were more than just an organization fighting monsters, they were an extended family who supported one another through thick and thin. Although Ranki was still an apprentice, he was very much one of them even having taken to the point of giving himself an Oni name to show his connection. Hibiki was the last one to arrive, but likely one of the most concerned since Ranki was his apprentice._

_Kasumi and Hinaka really wanted to call the police and under normal circumstances that would be the right thing to do, but Ranki's situation wasn't quite normal. The Nerima District was a separate district from where the Candy Shop was placed so any calls for police intervention in Nerima would be given to the Nerima Police Department. Ranki's own admission said that the police there seemed to take a hands off policy when it came to the martial artists who resided there and likely wouldn't do anything feeling that the situation would simply resolve itself like it always seemed to do._

_Todoroki was all for going to Nerima and cracking some skulls, but Zanki reminded him that they would be no better than the infamous Wrecking Crew if they did that. They had to handle the situation properly, not like a bunch of gangs who were getting into a turf war with one another. Ibuki and Hibiki both suggested that Ranki live elsewhere, something Kasumi and Hinaka were quite willing to agree with. In the end it was Ichiro who had the best idea._

"_Perhaps it's time we have Ranki earn his name rather than simply hold it."_

END FLASHBACK

* * *

"For a moment, I felt at peace knowing that there were people who cared enough to support me. But, it didn't take long for the Wrecking Crew to find me though," Ranki sighed.

"Nabiki," Ranma guessed correctly and Ranki nodded. "Then she sold the information which led them in front of the store."

"But this time they were in for a surprise. They thought I would be alone. How wrong they were."

* * *

FLASHBACK

"_RANMA, GET OUT HERE!"_

"_SAOTOME, FACE YOUR DEATH!"_

_Everyone inside the small candy shop looked up when they heard the shouting from outside. They didn't need to guess that Ranki's rivals and those in competition for his hand had managed to track him down. It naturally didn't surprise them since one or two of them had some considerable tracking skills and failing that, the middle Tendo daughter likely had a role to play in finding Ranking so quickly._

_Ranki sighed, "It didn't take long for them to find me." He stood up to go outside and face them, but suddenly felt a pat on his shoulder which got him to sit back down in his seat._

"_Let us handle this," Hibiki smiled. "You rest here."_

_Hibiki looked to his fellow Oni and all three of them nodded in response. Ranki was one of theirs and they were going to stick up for him just like they knew he would have stuck up for them. All four of them went to the front door of the store and exited to face the small group who seemed bound and determined to take control of Ranki's life or end it. Collected outside was the expected group of Shampoo, Kodachi, Ukyo, Akane (who had been goaded into going by the parents), Ryoga, Mousse, and Kuno. All of them looked scuffed up from the earlier fight in Nerima save for Akane, but were certainly ready for more._

"_Can we help you?" asked Hibiki patiently. "You're being awfully rude."_

"_You give Airen!" Shampoo ordered, pointing at the man. "We know he here! Pay too too much money to greedy girl to find him!"_

"_And what would you do if you had him?" asked Zanki, crossing his arms._

"_Kill him for stringing along Akane/Shampoo/my pigtailed girl!" shouted the rivals._

"_Punish him for cheating on me/for being a pervert!" the fiancees snapped back._

"_Well, there's just one problem with that plan of yours," said Ibuki. "We're not about to let you. You see he's kind of become like a little brother to us."_

"_So if you want him!" Todoriki punched his palm, "You have to go through us!"_

"_You have chosen the wrong side, foul minions!" Kuno declared, drawing a bokken. "No doubt Saotome's foul magic has enchanted you! Fear not! For my righteous allies and I shall free you all upon slaying him!"_

_The four Oni blinked and looked at Kuno, obviously marking him as someone who was less than mentally stable if he honestly believed the tripe that was coming out of his mouth in favour of facing the reality that he wasn't as great as he thought he was._

"_Look, just give us the pervert and we'll leave!" Akane snapped impatiently, just itching to bring out her handy mallet for some much belated pervert bashing._

"_And we said we're not going to let him go," Ibuki retorted. "And like my friend said that if you want him you'll have to go through us."_

"_Then we have a problem here, don't we Sugar?" Ukyo frowned._

"_I guess we do," Zanki shrugged._

"_Oh ho ho ho ho! Then you shall fall before the might of the Black Rose!" Kodachi laughed. "Attack!"_

_Hibiki drew out his Ongekibou Rekka, Zanki and Todoroki gripped their OngekiShingen Retsuzan and Ongekishin Raigou, and finally Ibuki had his Ongekimei Narukaze. It was Ibuki, of course, who made the first move to hinder the NWC's advancement by pulling his weapon's trigger, firing bullets of compressed wind at their feet._

"_Last warning," said Ibuki. The NWC didn't listen and roared as they charged._

_Hibiki aimed for the nearest target, which just happened to be Akane who lunged forward with her mallet. He sidestepped and she hit the ground instead before he swung his own drumsticks down on her wrist to disarm her. Stunning her, he sent her staggering with strikes to the chest and a blow to the head to knock her out._

_Ryoga, witnessing this, became angry and went to hit Hibiki only to be pushed backwards by Ibuki's weapon, knocking the wind out of him._

_Zanki and Todoroki had their hands full with the Kunos and Amazons as well while Hibiki went to engage Ukyo. Suddenly, the door of the Candy Shop opened and various Disk Animals came pouring out. It was a swarm of tiny mechanical beasts as they lunged at the NWC like rabid the group as a whole were no strangers to being attacked, being attacked by small animals which could get at the sensitive spots like their faces...or other parts, were something new._

_Shampoo and Mousse were besieged by several types of avian Disk Animals, pecking at their faces and ruining their concentration int he midst of the fight, making them loose any advantage their amazon training would have given them. Kodachi was attacked by the serpent Disk Animals which were entangling with her limbs, causing her to shriek. It turned out she didn't like snakes all that much despite having a giant alligator in her yard. Ryogo and Ukyo had to deal with the crab, wolf, and ape Disk Animals biting at their feet and climbing up their bodies to attack their faces._

_Ibuki snickered at the sight before glancing at the entrance of the store, seeing Akira sticking her head out with her own Henshin Onibue Onteki at her lips, guiding the numerous Disk Animals outside and selecting their targets._

_Akane was slowly coming to and remembering what had happened, became enraged. With her anger in full throttle, she dropped all pretense at using martial arts and instead ran at Hibiki with her mallet with the intent of clobbering him with everything she had. Running close, she unleashed an overhead strike which could crush skulls. However, Hibiki's skill continued to show as he dipped to avoid the move before he slammed his weapons in her back which made her gag and fall, incidentally smashing her mallet into Ryoga's head and putting him out. Akane hit the ground with a groan before she was attacked by several more Disk Animals that swarmed her, effectively distracting her from her opponents._

_The four Oni could only watch in a form of grim amusement as they saw that the Wrecking Crew was more distracted by the Disk Animals attacking them rather than the four opponents. Well, the ones that were conscious anyway._

_The amusement was cut short though when the sounds of police sirens sounded off, making the Oni react by hiding their weapons while Akira called the Disk Animals back. The Wrecking Crew immediately managed to recover, those that were still awake, and looked ready for round two. However, that thought was cut short for the moment to see several police cars swerve into sight before coming to a stop with several officers coming out with their weapons drawn._

"_Halt!" the leader shouted out, silencing everyone around them. "You are charged with assault and disturbing the peace!"_

"_You might want to add harassment and stalking to the list," Zanki offered as if he was talking about the weather. "There's a young man inside who's a friend of ours who said this group attacked him, forcing him to flee here from Nerima to try and find a safe place to recover."_

"_Wait, all the way from Nerima?" asked another officer. "Isn't that the crazy place where all those psycho martial artists hang out?"_

"_These are those martial artists," Ibuki sighed, adjusting his jacket. "It seems the police in that district prefer to pretend that the problems they cause don't exist."_

"_Well they're find out we aren't so willing to ignore our troublemakers," the leader of the police frowned. "Book them all and we'll contact their parents."_

"_Hai Taichou!"_

_(TIME BREAK)_

_In the days that followed, and event occurred which was called The Great Nerima Crackdown. All of the Wrecking Crew were brought in for questioning on the incident, why they were there, why they were chasing Ranki, etc. They were of course told about how much of a playboy/pervert Ranki was or hear the girls argue whose rightful husband he was. It didn't paint any of the crew in a positive light. Mousse was arrested and charged with possession of deadly weapons when they searched him and found his stash of hidden weapons. Kuno and Kodachi were detained for mental evaluation only after a minute into their interrogations. Akane ranted and raved about how it was Ranma's (Ranki's) fault while Ukyo and Shampoo stubbornly insisted that they didn't do anything wrong in trying to get their fiancee back. Ryoga simply got lost in crossing his cell and there was a minor warrant out for him still._

_Still, with so much evidence of violent hooligans running around Nerima thinking that gratuitous amounts of violence was the answer to all their problems, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police decided that they should take a better look at the district they at first thought merely had groundless urban legends running out of it. When inquiring about the teens who were obviously responsible for so much destruction and chaos in the district, all they received was nervous excuses, stuttering, and shuffling feet as answers. It was enough for an entire unit of Internal Affairs officers and investigators to be sent into Nerima to figure out just what the hell was going on in the district. The Internal Affairs officers found woeful incompetence in the police officers who were simply washing their hands of the events in their turf simply because they figured martial artists were too strong for them and as such another martial artist could handle it. The investigators on the other hand got a lot of information on everything was going on._

_They learned about a teenage girl who had created a network of information based off spying on people and taking candid photos of them and blackmailing the subjects or selling the photos to others or by digging up information she really had no right to and blackmailing people with it. The local high school was a disaster zone with the principal creating all sorts of wacky rules for the sheer purpose of getting students in trouble, making traps to delay students so as to punish them for being late, or outright attacking students with bombs, scissors, or razors. Not only was it a risk to life and limb for the students but it was also a serious infringement on their education. For a nation who took its educational standards seriously like Japan, that was a serious crime. They learned about the son of the principal who likely worked up the mother of all sexual harassment cases by forcing his fellow male students to attack one lone female student for the sheer purpose of defeating her so they could force her to date them. Then there came the almost daily fights which destroyed a lot of local property as well as the petty thievery which included a fat man in a white gi, a panda, or a shrivelled old man who would steal women's undergarments like he was addicted to them. The locals had been complaining to the police for over a year about the incidents but nothing had been done._

_One thing that all of the locals could agree on concerning it was one name, Ranma Saotome, but how he fit in depended on who you talked to. For the Wrecking Crew, Ranma was the source of all the problems and either killing him in the eyes of the rivals would end it, or to the girls the chaos would end when he finally realized how much he loved them and married one of them. Of course Akane declared it was all his fault since he was such a pervert. The locals on the other hand would enthusiastically exclaim that he was the only one who consistently tried to do anything about the chaos. Sure most of it was centred on him recently, but he had been put into an impossible situation thanks to his selfishly greedy father and was trying his best to resolve it even though there was no way out._

_Still, if Ranki was at fault or not, the police had to take action. Nabiki's information network was hit as if with a hammer. As smooth as an operator as she was with her fellow civilians, the police had way better toys in order to get information that they wanted. After a few days of monitoring the girl, they caught her in numerous blackmail and even bribery schemes which she was swiftly booked for and all of her computers, paperwork, and data was confiscated and several of her employees were likewise detained when it was determined that some of them worked for her because they too were being blackmailed while others were more than happy to work for a fee. _

_Further investigation brought down Principal Kuno for his reckless endangerment of his students, but also cost him his job once word of his behaviour finally got back to his superiors. It turned out that the man was threatening his employees with severe pay cuts among other punishments if they tried to turn him in. The man obviously thought that as a principal to the school he could do damn well whatever he wanted._

_The school board, however, was soon informed and made the announcement official. Principal Kuno was being led out, still shouting how he was 'Da Big Kahuna' and how they couldn't do anything to him. The students were having one of the biggest parties in the history of the school at the news with even the teachers joining in._

_With the school free from corruption at the moment, investigators then turned their attention to the rash of petty theft which seemed so rampant in the area. Of course, two names immediately popped up, Happosai and Genma Saotome. While neither of them had any real crimes on their rap sheets, the sheer number of petty crimes they were known to commits each filled up several filing cabinets. Police soon came to collect the two men, which to their surprise were hiding out in Soun Tendo's home, the man who was sitting on town council. Genma tried to make a break for it, but the police had several experts on the man advise them on what to do so when Genma tried to leap over the wall to freedom, he was hit with several tazers before being loaded up onto a police wagon. Happosai tried fighting back with one of his infamous bomb attacks, but several potato guns filled with men's underwear given to the police under advice from someone who dealt with the old pervert often shut him down rather quick, allowing for his arrest as well._

_In the end, the status quo in Nerima was pretty much destroyed. Nabiki was sentenced to over a year in juvenile hall for her racketeering and blackmail charges. Akane got several months for her assault with a weapon charge. She would have gotten off on probation if she accepted the judge's option of attending anger management therapy but she instead exploded in court stating that she did not have a temper problem and that it was Ranma's fault she was in her current mess. So she went to juvie hall as well with some mental evaluation thrown in. Soun vehemently denied that his daughters were anything but perfect little angels but there was simply too much evidence to the contrary and his word was more or less shot in the district after people learned that he was hiding the underwear thief for so long. Shampoo was released on probation and serious community service, which made the girl huffy but Cologne would hear none of her whining. The matriarch was pissed that not only did Shampoo break the laws, but she dishonoured herself by going off like a spoiled little girl when she thrashed and screamed loudly when she was arrested. The Kuno Siblings were both placed in the mental ward with the delusions that the pair were obviously under. It was the only thing that saved both of them from being charged with sexual harassment, stalking, and assault. Mousse was deported and sent back to China for his massive collection of weapons. Ryoga was now a wanted man when he got lost and vanished from his cell. Genma and Happosai were sentenced to several years of prison for their lengthy list of charges. Nodoka insisted that everything her husband had done was for the worthy cause of making her son a man amongst men. When the police asked her to define that, she produced the seppuku contract and explained the deal. Needless to say, she was quickly brought in along with her husband and was going to be charged with parental neglect, but her defence attorney managed to change that to mental observation when it was argued she had suffered a mental break after her husband kidnapped her son and abandoned her. She barely held onto her sanity as a result, becoming obsessed with the one thing which promised her family's return._

_Genma was charged with kidnapping, child abuse and reckless endangerment after hearing about things he did with Ranma, adding more years to his sentence. Soun was kicked off town council and he eventually began to discover that the bills were piling up without Nabiki doing the backroom bargains to bring in income. The only one who really came unscathed out of The Nerima Crackdown was Kasumi whom nobody could find any fault with, albeit maybe finding her a bit naive for not doing anything about her sisters or father for so long. Nerima was left with a whole new police force with the residents finally feeling like they could rest easy without spending half their income on building materials to fix their property._

_Ranki wasn't quite knowledgeable about this at first. No, he spent the first day of being free from his usual parade of stalkers and would-be killers doing something he hadn't done since he was a small child._

_He cried._

_He cried for his new freedom in the arms of his surrogate big sisters and it was all because he met a man who had become more of a father to him than his actual father was._

_END FLASHBACK_

* * *

"Wow, each and ever one of them?," Ranma gaped. He could hardly believe that his counterpart in this world had managed to break free from Nerima so completely. The only one who had done that was his Faiz counterpart and he had to transform into an Orphenoch and kill Kuno to do it.

"Takeshi has been a family to me when my real one couldn't be bothered," Ranki smiled. "I owe them a lot."

A sniffle caught the pair's attention and they turned to see the audience that they had forgotten they had. Shippo had tears running down his face and a trail of snot from his nose and he heard the story. Kagome was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief while she handed a box of tissues to Sango whom was trying to hide the fact that she was tearing up at hearing the story. Miroku seemed to find the ending heartening while Kaede only had a soft smile on her wrinkled face. Inuyasha was sitting near the door, looking outside with a deeply hidden sign of envy in his eyes.

"That's...that's such a good story!" Shippo sobbed, wiping his face on his sleeve.

"It's better than the soap operas back home!" Kagome cried.

"A heartening tale," Miroku nodded. "It gives hope for the future to anyone in a bad situation."

"Aye," Kaede agreed. "I may tell it to the children. The lost child rescued by an oni from his cold family."

"It...it's a good story," Sango choked, trying not to cry.

"Feh!" Inuyasha snorted, but his usual fire wasn't in it.

"Uh..." both Ranmas blinked.

* * *

**Naraku's Castle**

Inside a rather secluded location lay what would appear to be a Damiyo's estate. It was expansive and was certainly befitting of a lord, at least at a distance. Inside the estate proper, everything was covered in a deep purple fog which hung along the floor. With the fog were the bones of humans, their clothes bearing the uniforms of the Damiyo's guards and advisors. The fog, a miasma, was extremely toxic and not many could truly survive it. The only ones who could breathe it properly were demons who shared a blood link to the one that created it.

Naraku.

Naraku had taken the castle for himself early on, killing the family which ruled over it and taking the image of the Damiyo's son for himself. It was a satisfying existance, one that soothed his Onigumo heart. Of course, once his plan of having Sango kill Inuyasha failed he had to move the castle and allowed his miasma to kill everyone in the castle save for his spawn.

Naraku himself was in the Damiyo's private chambers. He was shirtless, revealing a perfected physique, not too muscled but not too skinny either. His hair was long and black, for once tied back. On his back though, was an ugly spider-shaped scar that looked like it was just one big burn. In truth, this was a bitter reminder to Naraku that he was not an all-powerful demon, but a half demon with a human heart.

Inside the room with Naraku were several large pots filled with squirming meat, the results of his earlier attempts at removing the disgraceful sign of his humanity. It did have a useful purpose of creating minions for him such as Kagura and Kanna, but other than that they were just large reminders of failure.

In Naraku's hand was a regular katana that's edge had been sharpened to perfection. The hanyou was silent as he raised the weapon up before bringing it back down. The sound of metal slicing flesh echoed out as Naraku's blade dug into his back, slicing the scar from his skin. Blodd dribbled to the floor and splattered against the walls as the hunk of flesh dropped to the ground. The pain didn't bother Naraku. He delegated it to one of the many demons residing inside of his body.

Chopping the last of the scar off, Naraku waited as blood dribbled into his clothes and down his legs. After a few moments, the sound of stretching could be hears as his fleshless back soon regenerated, replacing the skin which was previously lost. Raising his hand up, Naraku touched the new skin of his back, only to scowl as he felt the rough and tough skin of the familiar scar which plagued him.

"Another failure," he muttered. Frowning, he tossed the sword aside before grabbing the mass of flesh on the floor and tossing it into one of the pots, letting it begin to squirm like the rest.

As Naraku moved to retrieve a new set of clothes to replace the bloody ones he now wore, the exit to his room was suddenly blocked off to him by what looked like a silver veil. The composite hanyou frowned and prepared for an attack, anticipating one of the many demons he had offended in his quest to be after him.

What he got was a human stepping out of the view, looking decidedly unafraid. He was dressed in odd brown clothes with glass over his eyes. He didn't react to the miasma which permeated everything and he seemed to not notice the blood all over the room and the pots filled with squirming flesh. His eyes were trained on Naraku and nothing else.

"You are the demon Naraku?" he asked.

"I am," Naraku nodded. "Speak quickly before my miasma kills you and I may decide to lift it."

"I am beyond being affected by things in this world," the man replied. "I have come here to tell you of something which threatens this entire world which the so-called defenders will not rise up against."

"Oh?" Naraku pondered. "And what would this be?"

"He is called Decade, the Destroyer of Worlds," the man explained. "He has passed through several worlds and put them into grievous risk with just his presence. Now he has come to your world to continue his quest."

"I do not fear him," Naraku smirked. Raising his hand, he opened it to reveal a glowing red gemstone smaller than a golf ball which seemed perfect save for a missing piece on it's side. "With my Shikon-no-Tama, he will fall like any of my other enemies."

"Your hunk of glass will not protect you from Decade," the man replied. "His power surpasses it. The jewel will not protect you even if it was whole."

Naraku frowned, feeling somewhat insulted. As far as he knew, the Shikon-no-Tama was one of the most powerful artifacts in existence and once complete, nothing would be able to stop him. To hear somebody dismiss the power of the Jewel and thus his ambition raised his ire more than a little.

"However, Decade is not at his strongest yet," the man continued, uncaring of Naraku's shortening patience. "As he is, you and few others have a chance of destroying him. The only others who can have already accepted him as an ally or do not care for the affairs of humans."

"And so it is up to me to save the world, if only to make sure it is still there for me to claim my ambitions," Naraku chuckled. "How ironic."

"It doesn't matter what you must do, but Decade must be destroyed," said the man in a grave tone. "No matter the cost."

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

A/N: Well, it took me long enough, I know. This chapter was more to set the history of Ranki and offer a bit of foreshadowing into what is going to happen in the next chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this one. I needed a kick in the ass to get it done, but I did it.

Kanji in order of appearance

Priestess

Kitsune (Fox)

Buddhist Monk

Demon Slayer

Oni

Hanyou (Half-Demon)

Dragon

Child

Kappa

Daiyoukai

Ranki (Wild Demon)


End file.
